Jacksonville, AL – Jacksonville State University has been named one of only 20 regional public universities nationwide chosen to participate in the American Association of State Colleges and Universities’ (AASCU) new Student-Centered Course Schedulinginitiative. The national project aims to remove one of higher education’s most persistent barriers to student success: the course schedule.
Through the initiative, participating institutions will work to strengthen scheduling systems so students can take the classes they need, when they need them, and stay on track for timely graduation. Jax State will receive detailed analytics, data coaching, and guided change-management support from AASCU and its partner Ad Astra, a leading provider of academic scheduling solutions.
The project will help universities identify and eliminate course bottlenecks, reduce scheduling conflicts, and better align course offerings with real-time student demand.
Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Christie Shelton said the initiative places students at the center of an often-overlooked aspect of their academic experience.
“This work is about removing everyday obstacles that stand between our students and their degrees,” Shelton said. “Being selected for this national cohort allows us to evaluate our scheduling practices through a student-success lens and ensure every Gamecock has access to the courses they need to graduate on time.”
As part of the project, Jax State will launch a targeted stakeholder survey in the coming days to gather feedback on current scheduling practices and potential improvements. Survey results will guide upcoming reforms and support the university’s broader student-success strategy.
AASCU announced the inaugural cohort earlier this fall, emphasizing the initiative as a key component of national efforts to improve degree completion and reduce structural barriers in higher education.
