Institutions will tackle equity challenges, enhance data practices, and accelerate community growth with customized support from Achieving the Dream.
SILVER SPRING, MD — Seven community colleges are joining the 2022 cohort of Achieving the Dream (ATD) Network colleges to holistically advance student success at their institutions and grow as catalysts for equitable, antiracist, and economically vibrant communities. By joining the ATD Network, the institutions are committing to a tailored engagement in whole-college transformation and gaining access to a nationwide network of peer support and expertise.
The seven colleges join the ATD Network during a time of continued enrollment challenges for two-year institutions across the country, when equitable access and community engagement are more important than ever for the students that colleges serve.
“Community colleges, and particularly colleges in the ATD Network, recognize that they serve as engines of opportunity not just for their students, but for the entire communities that they serve,” said Dr. Karen A. Stout, president and CEO of Achieving the Dream. “ATD’s work is centered on equity, and I am excited to see how the new Network colleges in the 2022 cohort start generating transformational change that lifts up their communities and advances the field.”
Teams from each of the seven colleges will convene in Charlotte, NC, from June 14 to 16 for a Kickoff Institute that will set the stage for their partnership with ATD. The Kickoff experience will include an introduction to ATD’s Institutional Capacity Framework, a comprehensive assessment built on seven essential capacities that help colleges develop a student-centered culture leading to more equitable outcomes.
Collectively, the 2022 ATD Network cohort has a demonstrated commitment to tackling equity challenges, building a culture of data-informed decision-making, and maximizing the student experience through high-quality teaching and learning. Individually, each college has identified areas of growth based on their community’s needs. In partnership with ATD, over the next three years the colleges will work toward whole-college transformation aimed at better serving their students and lifting up their communities.
These are the seven colleges joining the ATD Network in 2022:
Brookdale Community College (NJ) is partnering with ATD to strengthen student outcomes, particularly for historically underserved students who have been impacted by the pandemic, and to be part of a national network that is leading transformational change in higher education.
Central Carolina Technical College (SC) is setting out to develop data collection and integration capacities, better understand and serve its first-generation and rural student populations, and update holistic student supports to meet changing needs amid the ongoing effects of the pandemic.
Community College of Aurora (CO) is excited to partner with ATD to develop a culture of high-impact professional learning among faculty and staff, and to address equity gaps in completion, transfer, and enrollment through enhanced data practices.
HACC, Central Pennsylvania’s Community College, (PA) will engage in work to advance student success while establishing an evidence-based culture across the institution, address equity gaps in the classroom, and expand its community reach to improve access for adult learners and underserved students.
Meridian Community College (MS) is partnering with ATD to improve faculty retention by building a culture of teaching and learning excellence, developing a culture of evidence and inquiry through enhanced data intake and reporting processes, and implementing wraparound holistic supports to ensure students are given the tools they need to succeed.
Northwood Technical College (WI) plans to accelerate diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts around recruitment and retention and to implement a holistic approach to nonacademic student supports driven by deeper understanding of students’ needs.
Reynolds Community College (VA) is prioritizing the needs of its students, over half of whom have experienced some form of basic needs insecurity, by pinpointing equity gaps, developing faculty as data-informed educators, and building a culture of evidence to advance social mobility in the Richmond Area.
Achieving the Dream (ATD) is a partner and champion of more than 300 community colleges across the country. Drawing on our expert coaches, groundbreaking programs, and national peer network, we provide institutions with integrated, tailored support for every aspect of their work — from foundational capacities such as leadership, data, and equity to intentional strategies for supporting students holistically, building K-12 partnerships, and more. We call this Whole College Transformation. Our vision is for every college to be a catalyst for equitable, antiracist, and economically vibrant communities. We know that with the right partner and the right approach, colleges can drive access, completion rates, and employment outcomes —so that all students can access life-changing learning that propels them into community-changing careers. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.