2022 Special Recognition Award – North Central State College

North Central State College: A Long-Term Commitment to Improving Student Success

North Central State College (NCSC) is steadily improving outcomes for its students, including continued increases in the number of overall credits completed, fall-to-fall persistence, and four-year completion rates. NCSC is also narrowing equity gaps for student parents, women, and first-generation, part-time, and low-income students.

Since joining the ATD Network in 2005, NCSC has systematically implemented, evaluated, and iterated comprehensive whole-college-reforms and used its annual strategic planning updates to involve the whole college in examining outcome metrics and setting updated targets for improvement. The college underwent internal reforms to ensure institutional policies and practices were focused on equity, to realign student services and academic services, and to better meet the needs of the region’s workforce. These student-centered reforms have allowed for steady improvement in fall-to-fall persistence,  successful course completion, four-year completion rates, and transfer and bachelor’s degree attainment.