The Completion Agenda and LBCC
Surprisingly,
only 11% of Linn Benton Community College full time students will
graduate within three years of starting school. This is a staggeringly
poor number considering enrollment for the 2010-2011 year was 5,410 full
time students meaning that 11% of 5,410 is 595 graduates.
The Completion Agenda is a national and state-wide initiative that focuses on improving the graduation rate. Dr. Greg Hamann, president of LBCC, discussed that under the new Completion Agenda, LBCC is hoping to improve their completion rate by 50%, which means moving from approximately 900 graduates per year to approximately 1350 per year. The American Association of Community Colleges published a report recently that aligns with LBCC’s goal and states that the national goal for completion is also a 50% increase.
The
reason for the focus on increased completion, stated by Dr. Hamann, "Is
to increase the quality of life for the student after they graduate".
It is shown that students that earn any type of certificate or degree have a higher quality of life as opposed to students who do not.
LBCC receives state funding based on enrollment, however that will change and funding will soon be based on the completion rate. Dr. Hamann stated that he is on a committee that is working on a formula for the new funding plan.
Jack Stone, faculty and department chair for the business management department, shared that when students take and retake courses the information the students should be learning gets diluted. This means that the student will not learn as much and will be less likely to complete the course and degree.
Current
students will not be significantly impacted by the new focus on
completion because if even if curricular changes are made, student who
have already enrolled will be using current academic standards.
To find out more about the national report you can visit http://www.aacc.nche.edu/
