Bakersfield
College — Academic Development Program
With over 70% of its first-time students entering with basic skills needs, Bakersfield
College initiated bold and well-designed strategies to help students successfully
move into transfer and career programs. The Academic Development Program (ACDV)
focuses on creating a bridge to success for its students with improved teaching
and learning. The program has significantly reshaped strategies and services
over the last several years, moving from offering the typical courses, tutoring,
and learning services to addressing students’ needs through a variety of
effective approaches. The program has built upon existing practices and incorporated
new innovations that are more diagnostic and thus are more effective at serving
students in a manner that is tailored to their academic needs rather that providing
a single option, which is often just to take entire basic skills courses. It
is the mission of the ACDV to accelerate student acquisition by “filling
in the gaps” and building competencies in study skills, reading, writing,
information competency, and mathematics. The Academic Senate is proud to name
the Academic Development Program as one of the 2009 Exemplary Award Winners.
Santa
Barbara City College — Partnership
for Student Success
In 2005, the Academic Senate
at Santa Barbara City College (SBCC) led a
campus-wide effort
to plan and implement a Student Success Initiative,
aimed at addressing the needs of the large
population of under-prepared students entering
the college
and increasing the academic success of all
SBCC students. This Initiative became the Partnership
for Student Success (PSS), a coordinated, faculty-led
tutoring and supplemental instruction program
consisting of the Writing Center, the Math
Lab,
the Academic Achievement Zone, and the Gateway
to Success Program. The Gateway to Success
Program, a key component of the Partnership,
provides
in class and outside of class tutoring for
students in designated courses, from ESL and
basic skills
through first year content and CTE courses.
In Spring 2009 alone, the Gateway Center reported
over 5,000 tutoring sessions, while the Writing
Center, Math Lab, and Academic Achievement
Zone
reported consistently high levels of student
use as well. SBCC students are clearly taking
advantage of these programs and seeing the
benefits, as evidenced by the Chancellor’s
Office Accountability Report for Community Colleges
measures of the last two years, which have
shown
marked improvement in all areas, especially
in basic skills retention and advancement to
transfer.
In recognition of the work PSS has done, the
Academic Senate is proud to honor it as a 2009
Exemplary Award Winner. Parnership for Student
Success Website
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Contra Costa College — Center
for Science Excellence
The Center for Science Excellence (CSE)
has been a catalyst for institutional transformation
at Contra Costa College. This program answers
the national call for increasing the number of
underrepresented students in the Science Technology
Engineering and Math (STEM) fields. The program
provides comprehensive academic support, faculty-led
science and math workshops and tutoring to create
a seamless transfer process to universities.
Students who participate in the CSE develop academic
self-discipline; gain access to jobs, internships
and cooperative education in science and technology;
and learn how science and technology impact their
social and cultural experiences. The CSE has
helped retain students in a science based curriculum
and transfer them to four-year institutions.
The CSE is an exemplary learning community that
provides students with academic rigor, faculty
advising and a place to interact with peers.
The educators in this program work tirelessly
to provide comprehensive curriculum while focusing
on promoting and supporting student success,
a goal shared by students, faculty and administrators
alike. For these reasons, the Academic Senate
has chosen the Center for Science Excellence
as a 2009 Exemplary Award Honorable Mention. Center
for Science Excellence Website
El Camino College — First
Year Experience Program
Instead of adhering to typical student
exchanges, El Camino College created a comprehensive
program
that links academic support and student services.
The First Year Experience (FYE) program started
in Fall of 2001 with a cohort of 45 students
enrolled in two learning community courses. Today,
the program boasts over 750 new students and
over 800 second year continuing students. The
FYE program is dedicated to assisting new students
in transitioning from high school to college
so they can reach their educational goals. With
integrated learning community courses and interpersonal
and collegial experiences, the program facilitates
student retention, transfer and graduation and
serves as a foundation for academic success.
The FYE program has fostered and developed student
leaders all while helping the students transfer
to schools of their choice. The FYE is an excellent
example of integrative approaches to teaching
and learning. Due to its commitment to achieving
academic success, El Camino College’s FYE
has been selected as a 2009 Exemplary Award Honorable
Mention by the Academic Senate. First Year Experience
Program Website
College of San Mateo — Writing
in the End Zone
The Writing in the End Zone (WEZ) program
at College of San Mateo is truly a program that “scores.” Created
in 2003, this program pairs developmental English
and transfer level composition courses with physical
education and football. English faculty and coaches
work in unison to provide students with the highest
quality instruction, services and support, with
the primary goal being to facilitate success
in a student’s transition from basic composition
to transfer-level composition and beyond. In
the five years the program has been in existence,
the success and retention rates of WEZ students
have equaled the average success and retention
rates of general population students and have
substantially exceeded those of their non-WEZ
peers. The program plays a significant role in
the academic success of College of San Mateo’s
under-represented student athletes and has been
selected to receive a 2009 Exemplary Award Honorable
Mention by the Academic Senate. Writing in the
End Zone Website
College of the Sequoias—Puente
Project
The
Puente Project embodies the College of the Sequoias
(COS) mission to meet multiple student
needs. The Puente Project calls for a general
focus on learning that leads to productive work,
lifelong learning, and community involvement.
The goal of the project is to prepare students
for transfer to four-year universities with a
model of intensive English instruction, extra
counseling support, and additional mentoring
support from the community. The Puente Project
prepares and supports mentors from various sectors
of the community and the campus to work directly
with small student cohorts, providing the critical
support students need to overcome obstacles they
confront. This program has enhanced the community
involvement with the COS, building relationships
between notable community members and the campus
and students. More importantly, the mentoring
components make a real difference in students’ lives,
allowing them to build a network of support.
The COS Puente Project has been helping students
in the Central Valley transfer to four-year colleges
for over thirteen years. The Puente Program is
an invaluable success and the Academic Senate
has chosen the Puente Project as a 2009 Exemplary
Award Honorable Mention. Puente Project Website
