TJC Re-Designated a Leader College by Achieving the Dream

TYLER — For a second time, Tyler Junior College has been designated as an Achieving the Dream Leader College, a national honor awarded to institutions in the ATD National Network that have shown three years of steady improvement in student success. According to a news release from the college, TJC first achieved Leader College status in 2013. Achieving the Dream grants Leader College designation for three-year cycles, and institutions must undergo a re-certification process to maintain their status.

Based on its overall four-year completion rates for the Fall 2011 ATD cohort of students, TJC showed a 52 percent success rate, defined as students who either completed their degree or transferred to a four-year institution. TJC scored 5 percent higher than the national cohort and 8 percent higher than the state cohort from the same year. In the news release, Dr. Tampa J. Nannen, TJC assistant vice president for academic affairs, says, “The 2010-11 academic year was the first year of initiatives for TJC in Achieving the Dream, and our focus is reflected in these successful outcomes. Student engagement both inside and outside the classroom is key to the continued achievement of our students.”

Leader Colleges are eligible to compete for all grant-funded learning initiatives offered by ATD and are encouraged to provide leadership and support to other colleges in the ATD network, disseminate lessons learned, support state and national efforts to advance the student success agenda, and continue to improve student outcomes. Leader Colleges also have been winners of ATD’s annual Leah Meyer Austin award, a $25,000 prize for an ATD institution that takes whole-college approaches to improving student success and achieves notable increases in student outcomes.
Go to http://achievingthedream.org/ for more on the Achieving the Dream initiative.