Advising is an important part of student success. The adviser assists students in selecting appropriate classes based on their academic program and future career aspirations.
Tallahassee Community College
Active in Achieving the Dream:
2004 - present
Leader College:
2009 - 2012
Leader College
Participating Institution
Interventions at critical “touch points” help Tallahassee Community College (TCC) students connect to college resources and take responsibility for their education.
What We Are Doing:
New student orientation and revamped academic advising are two of the interventions TCC uses to address multiple student success challenges. The college adopted mandatory orientation and advising for all new students in 2007, added optional family orientation, created advising workshops, and established a structure for periodic adviser-student meetings.
Results include:
- Fall-to-spring retention of first-time-in-college (FTIC) students increased from 81% in 2003 to 91% in 2009
- Fall-to-fall retention of FTIC students increased from 57% in 2003 to 61% in 2009
Who We Are:
TCC serves three counties in the Florida Panhandle. The college was recognized in the 2009 Leah Meyer Austin Institutional Student Success Leadership Award competition for its community engagement strategy in Gadsden County, which resulted in a 10-point action plan to address low-income residents’ education and social needs.
In Fall 2009, TCC had 14,500 students. Of those students, 7% were Hispanic, 34% were black, 74% were under 24, and 28% received Pell grants.
TCC’s culture of evidence permeates college operations. Trustees have monthly workshops on strategic goals, faculty and staff are able to access data in a data warehouse to inform all types of decisions, and portals allow key stakeholders to share the data.
How We Work:
Institutionalizing its effective Achieving the Dream strategies, TCC has changed how it interacts with all students. Building on this foundation, in 2011 TCC convened a Student Success Summit where student focus groups made suggestions for the next phase of Achieving the Dream.
The My Success Platinum Individual Learning Plan (ILP) for students received the 2010 Innovation Award from the National Association of College and University Business Officers. The ILP is a comprehensive, multifaceted model that helps students identify their educational goals and empowers them to take control of their educational experience. The ILP’s scalability increases the college’s capacity to serve its growing community.
Tallahassee Community College is proud to have earned recognition as a Leader College. We are committed to the goal of improving retention and graduation rates for our students and to their success after they leave our institution.
Jim Murdaugh, President, TCC
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Student Success Strategies
Tallahassee Community College is using the following strategies to impact student success:
The focus of the new faculty adviser training is to create a foundation of knowledge and skills that allows academic advisers to begin work with a sufficient foundation of knowledge and skill in advising students.
The Orientation Program strives to enhance student learning and success by promoting the intellectual, social, and personal development of students through programming, academic planning, and self-assessment activities.
To assist the parent/family member in supporting the successful transition an academic success of their student.
