Prince George's Community College
Prince George’s Community College is committed to a student-centered vision for success that is part of its comprehensive academic plan. The college maintains that its highest priorities for student success focus on graduation, credential attainment, and timely transfer and transition to the workforce.
With Achieving the Dream, Prince George’s Community College intends to:
- Improve its use of student unit data and assessment protocols to examine and improve programs and services
- Increase retention, semester-to-semester and year-to-year
- Increase the number of degrees and certificates earned by its students
Achieving the Dream will build on the college’s current programs that have positively impacted students’ success thus far. The college has created special programs such as the A.L.A.N.A. (African, Latin, Asian & Native American) Mentoring Program and Student Support Services/TRIO to focus on academic coaching in a holistic manner. The programs’ goal is to foster the relationships students develop with an advisor or counselor and keep the students engaged during their academic tenure from early on at the college. Students are provided with feedback and support within the first few weeks.
Only minutes from the nation’s capital, Prince George’s Community College has extension centers at University Town Center in Hyattsville, Laurel College Center, and Andrews Air Force Base. The college serves Prince George's County, Maryland and surrounding areas, including Washington, DC. It offers 68 academic degree programs and 34 professional certificate programs, many of which feature distance-learning options. Prince George's Community College is built around the philosophy that learning should be a life-long pursuit for every member of the community.
The primary service area of Prince George’s Community College is one of the most diverse counties in Maryland and the largest majority minority jurisdiction in the state. In recent years, the college has also become the institution of choice for a growing number of international students. Of the 13,700 enrolled students, 79% of the college’s total population in the Fall 2009 semester was African American and 93% was comprised of students of color. The overall graduation rate in 2009 for African American students to graduate within normal time of completion for their program was only 3%.
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.
