The University of Houston-Downtown has been selected to participate in a pilot project designed to create a comprehensive student record — a new form of transcript. The project, funded by the Lumina Foundation, is led by the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO) and NASPA: Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education.

The Lumina Foundation has made a $1.27 million investment for NASPA to partner with AACRAO to research how to collect, chronicle and distribute data about student learning and competencies achieved not just from academic courses, but also from nonacademic activities and an extensive variety of experiential learning.

"Current transcripts only reflect a portion of student capabilities," said UHD President Dr. Bill Flores. "Universities need more ways to recognize and validate various elements of learning."

UHD is one out of 12 institutions embracing the idea in earnest. The other participating institutions include:

• Brandman University
• Dillard University
• Elon University
• Indiana University - Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI)
• Miami Dade College
• North Carolina A&T University
• Quinsigamond Community College
• Stanford University
• University of Central Oklahoma
• University of South Carolina
• University of Wisconsin Colleges and University of Wisconsin-Extension