Westmoreland County Community College Joins Complete College Accelerator
October 8, 2024Westmoreland County Community College has joined other community colleges across Pennsylvania in the Complete College Accelerator (CCA). CCA is an ambitious nationwide initiative to improve student success and close gaps in college access and completion. Westmoreland joins fellow community colleges including Community College of Allegheny County, Harrisburg Area Community College and Northampton County Community College along with colleges and universities across the U.S. in 11 states.
With funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s Intermediaries for Scale (IFS) Initiative, Complete College America, the national nonprofit organization at the helm of the CCA, is trying to raise postsecondary attainment nationally. Over the next four years, the group accelerator will strive to implement research-based practices designed to dramatically increase college completion on a statewide scale.
“I am very proud that Westmoreland was selected to join this important, national initiative. As the project leader, I hope to engage the whole college across this multi-year program,” said Dr. Andrew Barnette, dean of the School of Art, Humanities, Social Sciences, and Public Service at Westmoreland. “This program is a great match for the population of students that we serve. Our mission aligns very well and we are looking forward to being a great partner.”
Utilizing funding from the national grant program, Westmoreland will work with Complete College America to conduct assessments of institutional performance, build data capacity, and develop and implement strategies to improve student outcomes. As part of the national Complete College Accelerator network, Westmoreland will have access to innovations and best practices from other Accelerator systems and institutions.
“Westmoreland joins many colleges and universities on a mission to help students achieve their goals through education. Students have challenges getting the additional education they need to garner a job or promotion,” stated Dr. Kristy A. Bishop, interim president of Westmoreland County Community College. “They want to be successful in completing their certificate or degree program. There are roadblocks in the way that affect students' abilities to persist. We need to act now to help remove those barriers and Complete College America is perfectly positioned to help all of us support and assist our students. “
Nationally about 90% of students from under-resourced families do not graduate within six years - let alone four.
According to NASPA’s Center for First-generation Student Success, 56% of first-generation college students had not attained a postsecondary credential after six years. Research from the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics shows that six-year graduation rates for Black and Latinx students stand at 51.5% lower than graduation rates for White students.
“While persistence and retention are finally returning to pre-pandemic levels at both two-year and four-year institutions, there are troubling gaps in access, completion and career outcomes that continue to persist for students from underserved communities,” said Yolanda Watson Spiva, Ph.D., president of CCA.
“As institutions and economies continue to shift following the pandemic, taking action now is critical to long-term success. Through the Complete College Accelerator, these 11 states and more than 80 participating institutions will build their capacity to scale, implement, and sustain evidence-based practices that improve college completion rates for all students. We are proud to partner with Westmoreland County Community College on this effort.”
The Complete College Accelerator builds upon CCA’s long track record of developing the capacity of states, higher education systems and campuses to create and implement data-informed transformative policies and practices. The selection of state partners is the result of a competitive RFP process, which launched in February. Participating states were selected from members of the Complete College America Alliance— which includes senior leadership from states, systems, institutional consortia, and partner organizations— and, in turn, selected the participating institutions.
Originally launched in January 2020, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s Intermediaries for Scale Initiative is designed to help build the capacity of colleges and universities across the country to implement proven strategies for improving student success at scale.
CCA is among six selected entities that will now work over a five-year period to increase student success through institutional transformation. The members of the IFS Cohort include UNCF, the American Association of State Colleges & Universities (AASCU), the American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC), Excelencia in Education, and Growing Inland Achievement (GIA).
Other community colleges from Pennsylvania in addition to Westmoreland County Community College that are participating include Community College of Allegheny County, Harrisburg Area Community College and Northampton County Community College.
To learn more about Complete College America, visit completecollege.org/intermediaries-for-scale.