WCC aims to help students by ‘Achieving the Dream’
Staff Writer
Fewer than 46 percent of students who enter community college with the goal of earning a degree or certificate have met their goal six years later ,according to “Achieving the Dream,” a program that partners with community colleges intent on narrowing that percentage. Washtenaw Community College recently applied to become one of as many as eight colleges in Michigan to be selected for the program. ATD is established in more than 100 institutions in 22 states, reaching to nearly a million students. “What this program does is it allows colleges to evaluate their services that support students in light of where their students need the most help, and develop new strategies or improve upon existing ones so that students get better support,” said Krissa Rumsey, WCC’s grant writer administrator. The ATD decision process will look at how willing the leadership at the college is to making changes, and how open the faculty would be to an honest self-evaluation. The core goals for each student are obvious, yet not always met. Successfully complete the courses they take. Advance from remedial to credit-bearing courses. Enroll in and successfully complete gatekeeper courses. Enroll from one semester to the next. Earn degrees and/or certificates. WCC hopes to hear from the ATD regarding acceptance to the program by April 12.
