News Release
June 01, 2004
Community colleges in five states selected to participate in first phase of national initiative to increase student success
Indianapolis — Twenty-seven community colleges in five states will participate in Achieving the Dream: Community Colleges Count, a new initiative designed to enhance the academic success of low-income and minority students. Each college will receive a $50,000 investment grant to develop plans for addressing this challenge and will be eligible for additional funding to implement their plans.Achieving the Dream is a multi-year initiative funded by Lumina Foundation for Education and involving several national partner organizations. The first phase of the initiative will directly involve the selected colleges in Florida, North Carolina, New Mexico, Virginia and Texas. In future years, the initiative will expand to involve eligible community colleges in additional states. Currently in the planning phase, the national initiative will be launched in the fall of 2004.
A team of national reviewers selected the 27 participating institutions from among 60 community colleges that submitted proposals. Eligible colleges were regionally accredited, public, associate degree-granting institutions. Each college was required to have an enrollment of at least 33 percent minority students or 50 percent students who receive government-supported financial aid.
According to the reviewers, those colleges selected most effectively demonstrated their commitment to increasing student success and best communicated their vision for accomplishing this at their institutions.
Participating community colleges will be supported in their work by initiative partners with significant expertise in this field, including the American Association of Community Colleges; Community College Leadership Program at the University of Texas-Austin; Community College Research Center, Teachers College, Columbia University; Futures Project, Brown University;Jobs for the Future; MDRC and Public Agenda. These organizations, along with the initiative's managing partner, MDC, Inc., will help colleges identify and adapt practices and policies appropriate for their institutions to enable them to achieve their goals.
"We're very excited about working in partnership with all of these organizations, because we know that a combined effort is vital," said Martha D. Lamkin, president and CEO of Lumina Foundation. "Community colleges are an important point of entry for postsecondary students, especially for students who have traditionally been underrepresented in higher education. Our hope is that the Achieving the Dream partnership can spark a national movement to help these students succeed."
Below are the community colleges selected to participate in Achieving the Dream:
Florida
Broward Community College, Fort Lauderdale, FL
Hillsborough Community College, Tampa, FL
Tallahassee Community College, Tallahassee, FL
Valencia Community College, Orlando, FL
New Mexico
Albuquerque Technical Vocational Institute, Albuquerque, NM
New Mexico State University-Dona Ana (New Mexico State Univ.), Las Cruces, NM
San Juan College, Farmington, NM
Santa Fe Community College, Santa Fe, NM
Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute, Albuquerque, NM
University of New Mexico-Gallup (University of New Mexico), Gallup, NM
North Carolina
Durham Technical Community College, Durham, NC
Guilford Technical Community College, Jamestown, NC
Martin Community College, Williamston, NC
Wayne Community College, Goldsboro, NC
Texas
Alamo Community College District, San Antonio, TX (Northwest Vista College, Palo
Alto College, San Antonio College, St Philip's College)
Brookhaven College, Dallas, TX
Coastal Bend College, Beeville, TX
El Paso Community College Distict, El Paso, TX
Galveston College, Galveston, TX
Houston Community College System, Houston, TX
South Texas Community College, McAllen, TX
Southwest Texas Junior College, Uvalde, TX
Virginia
Danville Community College, Danville, VA
Mountain Empire Community College, Big Stone Gap, VA
Patrick Henry Community College, Martinsville, VA
Paul D Camp Community College, Franklin, VA
Tidewater Community College, Norfolk, VA
Lumina Foundation for Education, a private, independent foundation, strives to help people achieve their potential by expanding access and success in education beyond high school. Through research, grants for innovative programs and communication initiatives, Lumina Foundation addresses issues surrounding access and success - particularly among underserved student groups, including students 25 years of age and older . The Foundation bases its mission on the belief that postsecondary education remains one of the most beneficial investments that individuals can make in themselves and that society can make in its people.
