Profiles of 2006 Award Recipients

LaGuardia Community College

The 14,000 credit and 39,000 non-credit students at LaGuardia Community College are overwhelmingly immigrant, female, and economically disadvantaged. They come from 160 countries and speak 110 languages. And they face significant barriers to college success: almost 90 percent of entering students require at least one course in developmental reading, writing, or math. At the same time, the students are ambitious: over half of degree-seeking students aim for a Master’s degree.

LaGuardia has long been recognized as a high-performing college. The college’s five-year graduation rate is 26 percent, compared to 17 percent for community colleges nationally. In 2004, it was among the top 25 community colleges for degrees granted to minorities.

Data collection and analysis for continuous improvement are embedded in the college’s instruction and support. LaGuardia begins initiatives with a small pilot, which it then evaluates; if the pilot is effective, the college institutionalizes it to reach large numbers of students.

www.lagcc.cuny.edu

Indian River Community College

Indian River Community College, a network of five major campuses, serves one of every ten members of its community. The campuses are immaculate, impressive, and updated—“beacons of hope,” according to college leaders.

The college is an active partner in local P-20 efforts to increase the college readiness of high school students. It now grants more high school diplomas than any local secondary institution. Indian River has also invested in adult education for the growing minority and immigrant population: it is Florida’s second-largest provider of adult education programming. One in four of last year’s Indian River graduates started in Adult Basic Education.

Efforts to smooth transitions into credit programming are bolstered by purposeful collaboration. All academic and vocational departments build work with ABE into their budgets. A transition team, consisting of division deans and full-time and adjunct faculty, takes responsibility for analyzing and responding to the needs of students in transition. IRCC offers scholarships—for transitions to four-year colleges, but they come with a price tag: graduates must return to mentor other students.

www.ircc.edu

2002, 2004 Award Recipients

To read about past winners of the MetLife Foundation Community College Excellence Award, see: MetLife Foundation Community College Excellence Award.