Amarillo College
Amarillo College has created a meaningful core purpose in the goal to improve student retention and graduation rates - “help every student to succeed.” In addition, Amarillo College made student success the institutional priority for the academic year 2010-2011. In becoming an Achieving the Dream Institution, Amarillo College will strive to increase the number of students who:
- Stay in school fall-to-fall
- Earn academic and continuing education certificates
- Complete degrees
As an Achieving the Dream Institution, Amarillo College would like to develop and implement research-based policies and practices based on quantitative and qualitative analyses of data on institutional strengths, problem areas, and achievement gaps. With the help of Achieving the Dream, the college’s newly structured strategic plan incorporates student success as a significant and important focus for Amarillo College over the next five years. To accomplish this goal, Amarillo College began an in-depth review of important student success data with faculty and employees to kick off the academic year and began seeking feedback on potential responses.
Amarillo College was founded in 1929, has grown to six campuses and one outreach center. Faculty and staff at the college continue to remain dedicated to enhancing the lives of its students and community. In 2008, economic conditions in rural West Texas were just as dire as in counties along or near the border with Mexico. Some urban counties even had a higher percentage of people living under the state-average poverty line of 16.5%. The institution offers career and technical education studies in areas such as business administration, mechanical and industrial training, and paralegal studies, in addition to many continuing education programs for licensure and professional certifications.
Amarillo College is a Hispanic Serving Institution with Hispanic students comprising 30% of its total student enrollment. Nearly 38% of Amarillo’s student population in the Fall 2010 semester were students of color, and for full-time, first-time, degree and certificate seeking undergraduates, the overall graduation rate of the students in 2010 was 13%. Amarillo College’s Fall 2010 enrollment reached 11,675 academic students – an all-time high – in addition to approximately 26,000 continuing education students.
The Achieving the Dream Model
Achieving the Dream community colleges commit to our Student-Centered Model of Institutional Improvement. Based on four principles, the model frames the overall work of helping more students, particularly low- income students and students of color, stay in school and earn a college certificate or degree.
Each college approaches the work differently, but Achieving the Dream’s five-step process provides practical guidelines for keeping the focus where it belongs and building momentum over time. Throughout the process, Achieving the Dream coaches offer customized support and help each college’s core team implement data-informed programs and policies that build long-term, institution-wide commitment to student success.
