Here are three reports to check out this month. New data show there is an uptick this fall among first-time nontraditional students at community colleges. Enrollment of first-time college students this fall dropped -5.3%, compared to -16.4% last fall, according to a new report from the National Student Clearinghouse (NSC) Research Center. But this fall’s […]
Completion Articles
Celebrating first-generation college students
Yovany Duran wants to set an example for his family. The Northeast Community College freshman is the first member of his family to attend college, making him among a third of all students in the country who are considered first-generation college students. “I didn’t have anyone to follow; I had to be the first to […]
Creating a hunger-free campus
For Luis Pinto-Jimenez, a Holyoke Community College (HCC) student who relies on public transportation to go just about everywhere, food shopping can be an onerous and expensive chore. “I take the bus,” said Pinto-Jimenez, who lives in Holyoke, Mass. “As a student who doesn’t have a car, it’s really hard finding a way to go […]
Gaining skills, finding their voices
When Eric Hiller graduated from high school, his mother wanted to find the best program for him. She knew that Eric, who has autism, would struggle in a traditional college setting, benefiting most from a program that focused on so-called soft skills. When she learned about the Career Skills Institute (CSI) at Harper College, she […]
Bringing underrepresented students into STEM
Part of the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) mission is “to recruit, retain and develop a diverse, high-performing workforce that draws from all segments of society and values fairness, diversity, and inclusion to promote the progress of science.” The NSF’s Advanced Technological Education (ATE) program provides grants to STEM faculty at community colleges to develop innovative […]
Transforming the student experience
Tulsa Community College (TCC) formally celebrated the opening of the new Hardesty Student Success Center on its West Campus in October. But students are already benefiting from the center. Funded with a $1 million gift from the Hardesty Family Foundation, the new facility revolutionizes the student experience and removes barriers. Students now have a clearly […]
Leveling the playing field
“Having an internship gives students a risk-free chance to try out new opportunities,” said Julie Pierce Onos, Middlesex Community College’s (MCC’s) director of the Northeast Regional Internship Program (NRIP). NRIP strives to provide students at the Massachusetts college with access to meaningful internships to help them gain relevant skills and better understand what they want […]
A game-changer for a generation
A group of kindergartners in Virginia recently brought home good news to their parents: their college tuition, textbooks and fees would be paid for when they graduated from high school. In fact, all current K-12 students in Martinsville and Henry County have a guarantee of two-and-a-half years of tuition-free education at Patrick & Henry Community […]
Crossing the finish line
In North Carolina, community colleges have used the data tool Finish First NC (FFNC) to award at least 30,000 additional degrees, diplomas and certificates to students in just four semesters. The FFNC data tool, which rapidly identifies students with unclaimed completed credentials and students close to completion, was created by Wake Technical Community College and […]
Providing a second chance
Many people in this country look at their circumstances and can’t imagine that there’s a different and better life for them. Approximately 10.6 million people go to jail each year in the United States with nearly 1.4 million of them incarcerated in state and federal prisons. The vast majority of state correctional facilities offer educational […]