College Profiles

Central New Mexico Community College

Background

Central New Mexico Community College is New Mexico ’s largest two-year college. More than half of its 38,000 students are minorities. Many minority students live in poverty, particularly those who reside in historic Hispanic villages and Native American pueblos. Many Central New Mexico Community College students are also challenged by work and family demands, language difficulties, previous school failure, inadequate academic preparation, and inexperience with college. More than 65 percent of entering students require developmental instruction; 30 percent of all Central New Mexico Community College students receive Pell grants.

Central New Mexico Community College has engaged in nearly 50 different retention initiatives that have resulted in pockets of excellence, but not the college-wide improvements it seeks.

Achieving the Dream Goals

First-term students enrolled in more than one developmental course are considered at risk, and are the priority of Central New Mexico Community College’s Achieving the Dream initiative. It intends to

• Improve retention rates of at-risk students.
• Increase the number of at-risk students who graduate.
• Create a culture of “retention and graduation” among all members of the Central New Mexico Community College community.
• Expand its capacity to provide meaningful, disaggregated data to inform decision-making that increases retention and graduation.

Central New Mexico Community College will revise its New Student Orientation program and develop College Success Experience courses. A new advisement process will give students more attention through their first year. Faculty and staff will also be trained to utilize student success strategies. New learning communities will link introductory courses with developmental classes. Unnecessary barriers to graduation will be eliminated. The research office will be restructured to support a community of engagement.