Students stepping onto Century College's campus are greeted by a sign: "Welcome to the 2012-2013 academic year!" Below the message is a man in a graduation cap.From the start, community colleges are emphasizing the end, trying to improve stubborn transfer and graduation rates as national pressure grows.
The challenge is sizable: Fewer than half of students who enter a community college earn a degree or transfer to a four-year school, or they are still enrolled six years later, according to a recent report by the American Association of Community Colleges.
Colleges now begin their efforts the moment students arrive. In some cases, even earlier. Alexandria Technical and Community College interviews students about their goals before they enroll. Inver Hills Community College groups first-year students into "learning communities." Itasca Community College takes the full first day to orient students, inviting them to "Let's Chat" sessions and a picnic.
This fall, Century College in White Bear Lake is requiring students who tested into developmental reading -- all 1,450 of them -- to take a three-credit course called "New Student Seminar."
"For a long time, community colleges' mission was opening up access," said Melinda Mechur Karp, senior research associate at the Community College Research Center. But in recent years, "there's increasing recognition that isn't enough. It's not enough to say, 'Come on in,' if we can't get you through."
FULL ARTICLE.
I suppose I should say something cynical, but actually, this was a pretty moving read. Of course community college students should get small peer groups and hands-on advising, just like students at 4-year institutions.
ReplyDeleteI don't know if this goes against the community college ethos, because traditionally the CC student was there to get a certification or enough credits to transfer to a four-year school; very few of them hung around to get an AA/AS from the college.
DeleteThat was exactly my response.
ReplyDeleteI'm at a CC and we just recently started a mandatory college success class for students who test into developmental courses (there is a plan to make every student take it, and while it may be a pain, it might save some folks from themselves in the long run). I will say something cynical. My fear is that we will bend over backwards to "retain" students who are not ready to be in college or are behavioral nightmares just for the sake of statistics. We do have our share of students who have Krazy life circumstances that make it a miracle that they even get in the door. I wish we could do more for folks like that- they want to be in college. Why retain Snowy McShowflake who would rather text during class and cheat on his paper?
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