St. Clair County Community College
St. Clair County Community College (SC4) wants to create a culture of evidence as it raises awareness on campus and in the community about the importance of degree and certificate completion. To improve student success, the college added intrusive advising, more student success courses, and an early intervention process.
With Achieving the Dream, the college will:
- Increase retention with mandatory in-person student orientation and support for students placing in both English and reading developmental courses.
- Raise success rates for developmental courses by implementing a Math Study Skills course and a Math Center, which will host individual and group tutoring as well as quiet space to work independently.
- Encourage retention, persistence and success with the employment of the SC4 DREAM (Develop, Reach-out, Educate and Mentor) Program, which has a mission to assist minority students with staying in college, progressing toward their career goals and ultimately giving back to help others succeed.
In preparation for Achieving the Dream, the college added to its institutional research capacity and established a student services unit that consolidates key support services and connects them with academic initiatives. SC4’s new Strategic Plan emphasizes that the college’s main goal is maximizing student success, with objectives including efficiency and effectiveness of developmental education, as well as creating and implementing student success strategies through participating in Achieving the Dream.
SC4 in Michigan began in 1923 as Port Huron Junior College and became a community college in 1967. The 25-acre campus in downtown Port Huron is minutes away from the Blue Water Bridge to Canada. SC4 serves students with a variety of on-campus and online classes. The college offers associate degrees, certificate programs, programs that transfer to four-year colleges and universities, and short-term job-training programs. Through its university partners, the college makes bachelor’s degrees available locally. In addition to its main campus, the college also provides access to postsecondary education by offering classes at four off-campus centers in local communities. SC4’s many student services include advising, lifetime career assistance, free tutoring, support services for students, and a child care center.
In Fall 2009, the college had 4,880 students. In recent years, the college has had an influx of displaced workers needing academic support and financial aid. Of SC4’s Fall 2009 Achieving the Dream cohort, 69% of African-American students and 80% of Hispanic students were referred to at least one developmental course. Forty percent of that cohort qualified for Pell grants.
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.
