Closing the Gaps by 2015 was adopted in October 2000 by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB). The plan, which is directed at closing educational gaps within Texas, as well as between Texas and other states, has four goals: to close the gaps in student participation, student success, excellence, and research. Each goal in the plan includes intermediate targets for assessing progress toward the goals. In addition to the statewide goals and targets established in the plan, higher education institutions, including Austin Community College, submitted their own targets, all of which are available on the THECB website.