California Community Colleges Board of Governors Recognizes 2017-18 Exemplary Program Award Recipients

January 17, 2018

Paige Marlatt Dorr

Office: 916.327.5356

Cell: 916.601.8005

Office E-mail: pdorr@cccco.edu

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The California Community Colleges Board of Governors on Tuesday recognized two California community colleges as 2017-18 Exemplary Program Award recipients. Los Angeles Trade Technical College and Santa Barbara City College were chosen for developing programs that fit the year’s theme of ‘Guided Pathways.’ The programs help provide guided exploration for undecided students, and provide proactive academic and student support that are integrated with instruction. Guided Pathways is a systemwide framework that provides students with a structured approach to promote better enrollment decisions and prepares students for future success.

“These programs are leading the way when it comes to putting students on a dedicated path to completion, whether their goal is to transfer or earn a certificate or degree,” said California Community Colleges Board of Governors President Cecilia V. Estolano. “Through these programs, Los Angeles Trade Technical College and Santa Barbara City College are helping students navigate a successful community college career while ultimately improving student outcomes.”

Los Angeles Trade Technical College (LATTC) was selected to receive the Exemplary Program Award for its Advanced Transportation and Manufacturing (ATM) Pathway. The ATM Pathway was created from LATTC’s initiative titled: Pathways to Academic, Career, and Transfer Success. The initiative aims to assist students, many of whom are from traditionally marginalized groups, to successfully plan and complete a certificate or degree while negating barriers to completion. The ATM Pathway program is composed of 22 full-time faculty members. With collaboration being a central focus to the initiative, the ATM program invokes this theme by breaking down traditional silos and barriers between student services and academics. Students have direct access to a dedicated counselor who is well versed in program requirements, has strong relationships with pathway faculty and deploys immediate interventions to connect students to resources. Beyond the campus, the program expands to deep community partnerships with local agencies and named as a maintenance partner in all three bids for the $3.5 billion Automated People Mover (APM) at the Los Angeles World Airports.

Santa Barbara City College (SBCC) was honored with the Exemplary Award for the Express to Success Program, which is designed to help students complete basic skills educational goals in a timely manner. The program also better prepares students to begin taking courses required for a degree or transfer. Express to Success is open to all students, but specifically targets Latino and low-income students to offer accelerated learning communities in transfer level math and English for students who assess at one or two levels below college standards. The program has demonstrated success in closing the achievement gap compared to SBCC students overall. Latino students have an enrollment rate of 60-70 percent and low-income students an enrollment rate of 70-80 percent. This increase in enrollment is due to program growth from 10 to 23 learning communities to more than 1,100 students in 2016-17.

Both colleges receive cash awards of $4,000 for the recognition. The Skyline College Engineering Tech Scholars STEM Pathway program and the MiraCosta College Bridge to Success in Math program were selected as honorable mentions.

The annual Exemplary Program Award is sponsored by the Foundation for California Community Colleges. Award nominees must show the overall success of their program; a contribution to faculty engagement; demonstrate a response to the needs of students, faculty and the college; collaborate with other programs on campus or within the community; provide evidence that demonstrates how the program supports the community college mission; and can be used as models for other community colleges.

The California Community Colleges is the largest system of higher education in the nation, composed of 72 districts and 114 colleges serving 2.1 million students per year. California community colleges provide career education and workforce training; guaranteed transfer to four-year universities; degree and certificate pathways; and basic skills education in English and math. As the state’s engine for social and economic mobility, the California Community Colleges supports the Vision for Success, a strategic plan designed to improve student success outcomes, increase transfer rates and eliminate achievement gaps. For more information, please visit the California Community Colleges website or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.