State higher education leaders had set ambitious goals to improve the number of enrollees at the three public universities — and keep those students in school and becoming graduates within six years.

Improvements have been made, according to the Arizona Board of Regents, but one figure that shows the state lagging behind the nation as a whole is in how many high school graduates had started at a two or four-year college or university within one year of finishing high school.

Nationwide, that applies to 69% of students. For Arizona, that figure is 52%.

As part of improving that number — and others — Arizona State University, University of Arizona and Northern Arizona University have formed the Arizona Innovation Alliance.

Emma Whitford wrote about it for Inside Higher Ed, and The Show spoke with her for more about what the alliance is and how it will work.

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