CCSSE and Benchmark Fridays

We continue to make great progress towards maximizing student success! I am grateful for the work and creativity you provide in support of this effort. We are reviewing many of our processes and making changes as we move forward. As you are probably aware, students may no longer register for classes after the start date due to the recommendations of a team of faculty, staff, and administrators. Another team is researching placement scores and their connection to success rates. The Quality Learning Council is reviewing our attendance policy. We look forward to establishing a culture where every class meeting is valued and 100 percent attendance is the norm, rather than the exception.

All of these opportunities and many more are being pursued to help students be more successful, not to promote rules or an authoritarian atmosphere. On the contrary, I hope the atmosphere is more than ever, one of genuine concern for the well being and ultimate success of the number one impact on our future . . . students.

In support of our work, I want to provide more useful information, resources and data to help us improve our efforts. One of those resources is the Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE). We have participated in this survey for five years but it appears our knowledge is limited. I want us to learn more about the survey, the five benchmarks that it measures, the significance of that information, and how we can use it to improve student success.

On Friday, September 11, 2009, Dr. Kay McClenney, Director of the Center for Community College Student Engagement, will be on campus to speak with us about CCSSE and the connection with our work and goal of maximizing student success. I would like all College employees to attend this session. In the months following Dr. McClenney’s visit, we will have a series of Benchmark Fridays, dedicated to professional development around the CCSSE data. The Professional Development Council will provide leadership to involve you in making these five Fridays a value-added experience. Please join in, and thank you for your commitment.