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28 Apr 26
One Million Degrees and City Colleges of Chicago Announce Five Year Expansion of Partnership

Scales Wraparound Support to Reach Over 3,000 Students Annually

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11 Mar 26
New Study: Chicago-Based Program Drove Significant Gains in Graduation Rates and Career Outcomes for Community College Students

Seven- and eight-year findings show that wraparound student support through the One Million Degrees–City Colleges of Chicago partnership drove higher graduation rates, stronger career outcomes and increased earnings

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19 Feb 26
Harper College: Holistic Student Support Model Grows to 1000+ Students As Graduation Rates Hit Record Highs

Transforming Student Success at Harper College with One Million Degrees

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9 Dec 25
Student Success Nonprofit One Million Degrees Strengthens Executive Leadership Team with New Chief Strategy Officer and CFO

Chicago-based nonprofit bolsters leadership bench with executives whose experience spans Chicago’s education, nonprofit, and corporate sectors as it accelerates statewide and national growth

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20 Nov 25
New Study: One Million Degrees-City Colleges of Chicago Partnership Model Boosts Student Success at Scale

New Study: One Million Degrees-City Colleges of Chicago Partnership Model Boosts Student Success at Scale

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5 Aug 25
Welcoming Dr. Aarti Dhupelia as Our Next CEO

We’re thrilled to announce an exciting new chapter at One Million Degrees: Dr. Aarti Dhupelia will be our next Chief Executive Officer.

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6 Jun 25
Complete College America and One Million Degrees team up to remove barriers to student success and college completion through holistic student support

Press Release – One Million Degrees is proud and excited to partner with Complete College America to bring our evidence-based wraparound support to community colleges nationwide.

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16 May 25
Opinion: Millions of college graduates are underemployed. How can colleges break the cycle?

Working Nation – An op-ed by One Million Degrees Chief Program Officer Dr. Rita Raichoudhuri on how colleges can support students’ career options after graduation.

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30 Apr 25
With new University of Illinois program in the works, students and community colleges in Aurora area discuss transfer process, challenges

Chicago Tribune – An article detailing OMD’s transfer partnership with the University of Illinois system.

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2 Apr 25
U of I System Launches Pilot Project to Boost Community College Transfers

Chicago Tribune – An article announcing One Million Degrees’ new transfer program in partnership with the University of Illinois System.

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2 Apr 25
U of I To Pilot New Community College Transfer Program

Forbes – An article announcing One Million Degrees’ new transfer program in partnership with the University of Illinois System.

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31 Mar 25
Averting the Transfer Trap

Community College Daily – An op-ed by One Million Degrees Chief Program Officer Dr. Rita Raichoudhuri on how to better support students who transfer to four-year programs.

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David Scherer

David Scherer, Treasurer

One Million Degrees Co-founder 

David is principal of Origin, co-chairs the Investment Committee, and oversees investment analysis, acquisition and asset management. He has more than 20 years of experience in real estate investing, finance, and asset management. In 2006, he co-founded One Million Degrees, which has raised $20 million to help low-income community college students graduate and successfully enter the workforce. David has served as the organization’s Board Chair for the past 12 years, as the organization has grown from 30 to 1,000 students served per year. He also serves as the President of the Harvard Club of Chicago and is on the Advisory Board of Invest for Kids.  

Rose Lizarraga

Rose Lizarraga

OMD CO-Founder & President & CEO, Lysa LLC

An award-winning documentary filmmaker and freelance writer, Rose’s career also includes 10 years spent developing new product and brand strategies as well as marketing and advertising campaigns at Leo Burnett, Foote, Cone & Belding, M&M/Mars and other small businesses.  More recently, she worked as a writer/editor for Modern Luxury Inc., publishers of magazines such as CS and Angeleno.  Rose graduated from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor with dual degrees in English and Political Science.  She is a founding member of the Daniel M. Kerrane, Jr. Foundation, former Board Vice President of the Fairy Godmother Foundation, and currently serves on the Chicago committee for Human Rights Watch.

Michael B Golden

Michael B. Golden

One Million Degrees Co-Founder 

A former national award-winning broadcast journalist, Michael Golden has also served as a political campaign manager and communications strategist for U.S. Presidential, Senate and Congressional races. Michael is a fellow at the British-American Project and the Open Society Institute. In 1999, Michael’s investigative and public affairs reporting for NBC earned him honors from the Society of Professional Journalists, the AP, and the Edward R. Murrow Awards. In 2011, Michael co-founded Newsbound, Inc., a media and software company based in San Francisco, CA. He is also a co-founder of the Complete the Degree back-to-college initiative in Chicago, Illinois. Michael serves on the board of the ADL and on the governing board of the Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law, as well as the Illinois Commission to Eliminate Poverty. He received his B.A. from Indiana University, and his M.S. in Public Services Management from DePaul University.