College Profiles

Community College of Allegheny County

Background

 

Community College of Allegheny County (CCAC) is the largest provider of educational services in western Pennsylvania. CCAC students come from all walks of life and all parts of the state and region, as well as other countries. They range from age 18 to beyond retirement, and they have a wide range of professional and educational levels, as well as ethnically and racially diverse backgrounds. Among Allegheny County college students, CCAC enrolls about 37 percent of all African Americans, 29 percent of all female students, and 35 percent of all first-time freshmen. Students enrolled in remedial courses are four times as likely to be Pell grant recipients.

 

Achieving the Dream Goals

 

With a student-centered vision, CACC has committed to specific strategic objectives regarding student retention. These objectives focus on the needs of at-risk and underserved student populations. Specifically, in the upcoming year:

• The college plans to expand supplemental instruction. First-time, full-time students of color or with financial need who are seeking degrees at Allegheny Campus this fall will have the opportunity to enroll in one of two sections of MAT 080, Arithmetic Fundamentals, that will provide supplemental instruction on a voluntary basis for students in small groups or on a one-on-one basis. In the spring 2008 semester the college plans to implement supplemental instruction in MAT-080 for students enrolled at several other locations.
• Planning will also begin to develop learning communities where students can work and progress together through curricula.
• The First Year Experience course will also be reviewed and revised during the fall 2007 semester so that this class can be offered to students identified for the Achieving the Dream initiative during the spring, 2008 semester.

CCAC will track data related to class, course, and program assessments and the success rates of students who participate in Achieving the Dream courses supported with supplemental instruction, learning communities, or the First Year Experience course.

 

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