DENVER – Today, Governor Polis and The Colorado Department of Higher Education celebrated the first 300 graduates who received diplomas through the Colorado Re-Engaged (CORE) Initiative on December 5, 2023. Created on June 29, 2021, when Governor Polis signed bipartisan House Bill 21-1330, High Education Student Success, sponsored by Representatives Julie McCluskie, and Naquetta Ricks, and Senators Rachel Zenzinger and Barbara Kirkmeyer, CORE enables four-year higher education institutions in Colorado to award associate degrees to students who stepped away before earning a bachelor’s degree after earning at least 70 credit hours.