2016 Combined

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Tlie number of hours needed for comple tion in the Associate of Applied Science technical degree and the techni cal and career certificate programs Was converted to allow exit points for students at 30 hours, 45 hours, and 60 hours. While the college's Associate

For the second straight year, East Central Community College bas graduated its large~t c~ass of students in the mstitu tion's 88-year history. ECCC awarded degrees or certificates to 597 students after the 2015-16 academic year in May 2016, the largest one year total since the college was founded in 1928. It was a 5.1 percent increase over the previous academic year, which at the time was the largest graduating class in East Central history. "We continue to see extremely positive results from initiatives implemented as part of the college's 2020 Vision strategic plan," said ECCC President Dr. Billy Stew- art. "In just two years, East Central Community College has helped almost 1,200 students complete their degrees or certifi- cates prepared to continue tberr education at four-year colleges and universities, enter the workforce to begin meaningful careers, or return to their current workplaces better prepared to perform their jobs." ating class included a 33 percent increase in ~tu- dents receiving techntcal or career certificates over the previous year, a ~ire~t result of a reformatting m The record gradu-

- r-:r:o:=pt.,;:eolri1'-'C6ru ary 2013, ECCO's 2020 Vi sion strategic plan includ~s five institutional commit ments-Student Succ~ss, Teaching and Learni~g, Community Partnerships, Resource Planning and Development, and Com munication-which serve as core functions for the college to shape its ".i sion and fulfill i~~ ~·s sion. Among the imtiattves implemented to impr~ve student success, particu larly in the area ofprogram completion, were: • Waiving the $40 graduation fee as an incen tive for more students to apply for graduation and officially complete pro grams ofstudy. . • Reducrng the number of hours needed for a two-year associate ~e gree from 62 to 60 to ahgn with the 120 hours needed for a baccalaureate degree. • Increasing the number of hours needed for a full-time course load from 12 to 15 hours so that students successfully completing a full load of 15 hours over four semes ters have an opportunity to graduate in'two years. •

Reducing late reg istration from five class days to two days so that students who register late only miss one day ofclass es at the beginning of each semester. Requiring all full time faculty members to devote one hour per week · the tutoring students m Success Center. "[t's important that we continuall) seek improvements in our ed ucational programs and learning environments that help our students su~­ cessfully complete the.1r d " said programs of stu y, S art "The success of tew . our students is our .to.P . ·ty and these m1- pnon , tiatives in fulfillment of the Student Success ~nd Teaching and Learnmg institutional commitments of our 2020 Vision ensur_e these students achieve t.hel! full potential in pursuit of their career and life goals. "However, record •

of Applied Science and career programs are 60 hour programs, beginning in fall 2014 students were allowed exit points at 30 45-60 hours if for some reason they needed to exit their program. "At 30 or 45 hours, a student receives certification that, in most cases, will begin improv ing their work career and life until they can come back and finish the full program at a later date," awarded 568 degrees and certificates in May 2015, which topped the previ ous record class of 505 students in 2006-07. The then-record 2014-15 class was a 62 percent increase overthe 2013- l4 academic year m the number of stu dents earning the two-year pre-baccalaureate Associ ate of Arts or AssociaL of Science degree, and an overall 36 percent one-year increase in students com pleting all programs, in eluding pre-baccalaureate degrees, technical degrees, and technicaJ/career cer- noted Stewart. East Cent r a I

graduating classes are not al at East Central our go Community College. That is simply a by-product of the most important goal the success of our stu dents."

APP fall 2014 ofexit points for

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students in these programs.

CARTHAGINIAN

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tificates.

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