“Honestly, I’m really nervous,” 24-year-old Mark would repeat numerous times as he told his story. In the end, it was his captive audience of almost 70 people who would be in shivers. His story was powerful. “Growing up, I was taught to go to school and stay focused, but I faced a lot of challenges,” […]
Completion Articles
Report roundup
Here are three reports to know about this month: 1. Undergraduate enrollments seem to have stabilized this fall — including at community colleges — and there’s been an uptick among freshmen, with public two-year colleges seeing the biggest bump, according to final fall enrollment data from the National Student Clearinghouse (NSC) Research Center. In fall […]
A source of knowledge and inspiration
When Douglas B. Hamm applied to MentorLinks, he hoped it would improve Lakeshore Technical College (LTC) faculty and staff members’ understanding of National Science Foundation (NSF) resources and lead to better connections with the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC). Since its first MentorLinks meeting in October 2019, the Wisconsin college has: Grown College Here […]
Student story: Third time’s the charm
“I can’t do this; it’s not for me.” These were the words that Goldie Whaley uttered to herself not once but twice while attempting college. Whaley graduated from Cleveland High School in 2011 and enrolled at Cleveland State Community College that fall. After a hard class, she was discouraged and dropped out. In 2016, she […]
Ore. college prepares for growth in corrections ed
After a more than 20 years hiatus, Pell grants for people in prisons interested in pursuing higher education is back, and Portland Community College (PCC) is at the center of a state-funded program to help transition adults in custody back into society with the skills they need. A portion of a $2.8 million Future Ready […]
Making hard transitions easier
Launched in the summer of 2021, the MiraCosta College Transitions Scholars Program provides support for people impacted by incarceration. As part of the program, students join a cohort with students from similar backgrounds and are given access to financial, academic, and psychological resources to achieve personal and educational goals. Since its inception, the Transitions Scholars […]
Recruitment, support and then completion
With the pandemic years almost completely behind us, community colleges across the country now have several new challenges to work on. The large drop in student enrollment is the first. This began before the pandemic and became worse during the past three years. The following are the challenges ahead: Increase enrollments: Reach out to students […]
A ‘gamechanger’ for student parents
The Long Beach Community College District (LBCCD) has partnered with Boys & Girls Clubs of Long Beach (BGCLB) to give LBCC student parents the option to enroll their school-aged children in free after-school programming. The pilot program is free to all LBCC students and provides after-school care for children ages 6 to 18. The program […]
Creating a community of tutors
Maria McKee considers herself “extremely lucky” to have a job that allows her to support both students and tutors. McKee is the Language Arts Tutorial Lab coordinator for Grand Rapids Community College (GRCC). Her interest in tutoring began in early high school. She was a writing consultant while completing her bachelor’s degree at Grand Valley […]
Tackling workforce development — and bucking enrollment trends
In the Green Mountain State, we are proud to have one of the highest high school graduation rates in the country. On the flip side, Vermont also has one of the lowest college-going rates. At the same time, employers across industries need workers with increasingly sophisticated skills; nearly all of Vermont’s most promising jobs and […]