friday takeout

The Board of Trustees recognized Carrie Klein, Practical Nursing student, at its meeting on Monday. Carrie received two of nation’s top scholarships recognizing outstanding academic achievement among college students! She is one of 20 students in the nation to be named to the All-USA Academic Team and will receive a $5,000 scholarship. The All-USA program is widely recognized as the most prestigious academic honor for students attending associate’s degree-granting institutions. Carrie was also named a 2019 New Century Transfer Pathway Scholar, receiving an additional $2,250 scholarship. New Century Transfer Pathway Scholars are selected based on their academic accomplishments, leadership activities and how well they extend their intellectual talents beyond the classroom.

In fall 2018, 78 percent of the 521 entering students who were enrolled in a degree program returned in spring 2019. Student retention is one of the main challenges for postsecondary institutions, in part due to student mobility. Mobility aside, one thing we know from prior retention data is that the early weeks and months are the most critical for getting students off to a good start and laying the groundwork for retention. The fall to spring retention for students who completed more than 50 percent of their fall 2018 credits was 88 percent (vs 78 percent overall)! Success builds upon success. If we look more closely at the demographics and retention of those who completed less than 50 percent of their fall credits, we discover that:

• Females are more likely to return (40 percent) than males (17 percent)
• Pell-eligible students are more likely to return (36 percent) than those not Pell-eligible (25 percent)
• Students with a documented disability, although their numbers are few (11 out of the 95 entering students who completed less than 50 percent of their fall 2018 credits), are more likely to return (58%) than those without a disability (27%)

The College prides itself on meeting student needs. The