Whatcom Community College
Whatcom Community College leaders are particularly interested in using Achieving the Dream’s guidance to develop effective ways to use and secure data appropriately in order to increase the success of Whatcom’s student body, especially its under-represented populations. They also recognize that the need for stakeholder engagement and broad-based college support are critical components to the success of their participation as an Achieving the Dream Institution.
Whatcom’s vision for success is comprised of several goals, including:
- Expand opportunities for students to achieve their potential
- Strengthen the culture of learning
- Contribute actively to the vitality of Whatcom County
- Model sustainability
- Strengthen the college’s ability to deliver its mission
Whatcom will use demographic data in order to design relevant services that support student success primarily for diverse and low-income students. In order to achieve greater student success rates, the faculty and staff of Whatcom will require targeted training in data collection and analysis, which Achieving the Dream prides itself in doing exceptionally well.
Whatcom Community College is located in the northwestern region of Washington State and serves a diverse population facing many barriers to higher education in a large, rural service district whose main employers are agriculture and home construction. In a 2006 research report, it was estimated that roughly 60% of Whatcom’s students rank in the “lower to lowest” quintile for household income, educational attainment, and occupation.
In the academic year 2009-10, Whatcom saw a 10% increase from the 2008-09 academic year in the attendance of both degree and certificate seeking students. In 2009-2010, of Whatcom’s total degree and certificate seeking student population, 42% were enrolled full-time and 55% were female. Whatcom’s undergraduate student population was primarily composed of younger adults with 71% between the ages of 16 and 25, and 22% of enrolled students were of color. Over the past two years, the college’s financial aid office has seen a tremendous growth in the need for aid. The 2009-10 academic year saw preliminary figures that indicated a total award of $10,692,690 allocated to approximately half the students enrolled, which represents a 216% increase in Pell grants, Stafford loans, and scholarships from the 2007-08 year.
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.
