An electronic advising system with programs of study and academic master plans. Intervention involves using a SLS College Success course to introduce students to the electronic advising product, train them in its use and work with them to develop academic master plans.
Hillsborough Community College
Active in Achieving the Dream:
2004 - present
Leader College:
2009 - 2012
Leader College
Participating Institution
The cumulative impact of multiple initiatives and college-wide attention to student success have contributed to improved retention and completion rates at Hillsborough Community College (HCC).
What We Are Doing:
HCC officials attribute increases in retention and completion rates to the college-wide emphasis on student success and several ongoing initiatives rather than any single intervention. More faculty are incorporating supplemental instruction and online tutoring in their courses, and more students are using Student Success Labs and taking college success courses.
- Fall-to-spring retention increased from 70% in 2005 to 77% in 2009
- Fall-to-fall retention increased from 45% in 2005 to 56% in 2008
- Three-year completion rates increased from 9% to 11%
Who We Are:
HCC has five campuses and three centers in the Tampa Bay metropolitan area on Florida’s west coast. In Fall 2010, the college had 28,000 students and of these students, 22% were Hispanic, 19% were African American, and 3% were Asian.
HCC educates the majority of Tampa’s first responders through its healthcare training and police and fire academies. HCC enrolls the largest number of graduates from the Hillsborough County School District who go on to higher education. It is also the largest community college feeder to the University of South Florida through its 2+2 Program.
The college enhanced its community engagement with the creation of Campus Community Advisory Groups on each campus during 2010-2011.
How We Work:
HCC along with seven co-sponsoring Florida community colleges has hosted four national Black, Brown and College Bound summits. Summit workshops address the challenges of higher education for African-American and Latino males.
HCC’s Achieving the Dream work includes:
- Learning Communities
- A new College-wide Advising Plan for all first-time-in-college students
- The Hope Scholarship Program - Helping Black/Brown Men with Opportunities in Programs that will advance their Education which is designed to improve the retention, graduation, and four-year college transfer rate of African American and Hispanic males
- The performance-based Math Access Scholarship Program with MDRC that helps students progress from developmental math through the first general education-level math course
- The Success is a Choice program to encourage African-American males to make college enrollment plans while they are in middle and high school
Hillsborough Community College’s Achieving the Dream work aligns well with our other major initiatives to improve student success.
Ken Atwater, President, Hillsborough Community College
PDF Version:
Student Success Strategies
Hillsborough Community College is using the following strategies to impact student success:
The program is designed to increase course completion (Math sequence) and subsequent registration.
