Selected community colleges to participate in initiative to increase student success

Black Issues in Higher Education, July 1, 2004

INDIANAPOLIS

Twenty-seven community, colleges in five states will participate in Achieving the Dream: Community Colleges Count," a new initiative designed to enhance the academic success of low-income and minority students. Each college will receive a $50,000 investment grant to develop plans for addressing this challenge and will be eligible for additional funding to implement their plans.

Achieving the Dream is a multi-year initiative funded by Lumina Foundation for Education and involving several national partner organizations. The first phase of the initiative will directly involve the selected colleges in Florida, North Carolina, New Mexico, Virginia and Texas. In future years, the initiative will expand to involve eligible community colleges in additional states. Currently in the planning phase, the national initiative will be launched in the fall. A team of national reviewers selected the 27 participating institutions from among 60 community colleges that submitted proposals. Eligible colleges were regionally accredited, public, associate degree-granting institutions. Each college was required to have an enrollment of at least 33 percent minority students or 50 percent students who receive government supported financial aid.

According to the reviewers, those colleges selected most effectively demonstrated their commitment to increasing student success and best communicated their vision for accomplishing this at their institutions.

Participating community colleges will be supported in their work by initiative partners with significant expertise in this field, including the American Association of Community Colleges: Community College Leadership Program at the University of Texas-Austin; Community College Research Center, Teachers College, Columbia University; Futures Project, Brown University; Jobs for the Future; MDRC and Public Agenda. These organizations, along with the initiative's managing partner, MDC Inc., will help colleges identify and adapt practices and policies appropriate for their institutions to enable them to achieve their goals.

"Community colleges are an important point of entry for postsecondary students, especially for students who have traditionally been underrepresented in higher education," said Martha D. Lamkin, president and CEO of Lumina Foundation. "Our hope is that the Achieving the Dream partnership can spark a national movement to help these students succeed."

Community Colleges Selected to Participate in Achieving the Dream

* FLORIDA

Broward Community College, Fort Lauderdale

Hillsborough Community College, Tampa

Tallahassee Community College, Tallahassee

Valencia Community College, Orlando

* NEW MEXICO

Albuquerque Technical Vocational Institute, Albuquerque

New Mexico State University-Dona Ana (New Mexico State Univ.), Las Cruces

San Juan College, Farmington

Santa Fe Community College, Santa Fe

Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute, Albuquerque

University of New Mexico-Gallup (University of New Mexico), Gallup

* NORTH CAROLINA

Durham Technical Community College, Durham

Guilford Technical Community College, Jamestown

Martin Community College, Williamston

Wayne Community College, Goldsboro

* TEXAS

Alamo Community College District, San Antonio (Northwest Vista College, Palo Alto

College, San Antonio College, St Philip's College)

Brookhaven College, Dallas

Coastal Bend College, Beeville

El Paso Community College District, El Paso

Galveston College, Galveston

Houston Community College System, Houston

South Texas Community College, McAllen

Southwest Texas Junior College, Uvalde

* VIRGINIA

Danville Community College, Danville

Mountain Empire Community College, Big Stone Gap

Patrick Henry Community College, Martinsville

Paul D. Camp Community College, Franklin

Tidewater Community College, Norfolk