Central Carolina Technical College issued the following announcement on March 14.
(Sumter, S.C) March 10, 2022 – Central Carolina Technical College announced today that its been selected by national nonprofit Complete College America to join a first-of-its-kind national network of 22 Historically Black Community Colleges (HBCCs) and Predominantly Black Community Colleges (PBCCs) across 8 states. As a member of the PBCC-HBCC Network, Central Carolina Technical College will work with leaders from predominantly Black community colleges across the country to share research and best practices to strengthen the career and economic outcomes of community college students of color.
“CCA has a proven track record of helping colleges improve retention and graduation rates while removing barriers that often keep students from achieving their academic goals,” said CCTC President Dr. Kevin Pollock. “This collaboration is critical to the student success movement.”
Nationally, there are 12 historically Black community colleges and 49 predominantly Black community colleges. Under the definition created by the federal government in 2008, PBCCs enroll at least 40% of African American students and at least 50% of students from under-resourced households or first-generation students and cost less for full-time undergraduate students than similar institutions. HBCCs are defined as institutions with a historical mission of serving Black students that predates the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
Over two years, Central Carolina Technical College will work with a team of experts from Complete College America and other members of the PBCC-HBCC Network to identify and respond to the needs of adult learners of color. Initially launched in August 2021, the project focuses on the connection between educational experiences and career outcomes of Black students.
As a member of the network, Central Carolina Technical College will assess current degree programs to identify courses and competencies that lead to credentials of value and are aligned with the needs of employers. Experts from Central Carolina Technical College will also work to identify best practices around career and academic advising and wraparound supports to help meet students’ basic needs—such as access to nutrition, housing and affordable transportation.
Research, evaluation and the identification of best practices will be at the core of the PBCC-HBCC Network’s efforts. After the project, Central Carolina Technical College will share baseline data on their progress toward eliminating differences in educational outcomes by race and age at their respective institutions. CCA and members of the Network will use the research and insights uncovered through the project to inform state and federal policy recommendations to better support students attending PBCCs and HBCCs.
The members of the PBCC-HBCC Network include (by state and alphabetical order):
- Alabama: Bishop State Community College, Chattahoochee Valley Community College, Gadsden State Community College, H. Councill Trenholm State Community College, J.F. Drake State Community and Technical College, Lawson State Community College, Shelton State Community College and Wallace Community College Selma
- Arkansas: Arkansas State University Mid-South, Southeast Arkansas College and University of Arkansas- Pulaski Technical College
- Georgia: Atlanta Metropolitan State College
- Illinois: Olive-Harvey College (City Colleges of Chicago)
- Louisiana: Baton Rouge Community College, Delgado Community College and Southern University at Shreveport
- Massachusetts: Roxbury Community College
- Michigan: Wayne County Community College District
- South Carolina: Central Carolina Technical College, Denmark Technical College Northeastern Technical College and Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College
About Complete College America: Complete College America (CCA) builds movements for scaled change and transforms institutions through data-driven policies, student-centered perspectives and equity-driven practices. Since its founding in 2009, CCA connects a national network of forward-thinking state and higher education leaders and introduces bold initiatives to help states and institutions confront inequities, close institutional performance gaps and increase college completion rates, especially for marginalized and historically excluded students. For more information, visit http://www.completecollege.org.
Original source can be found here.
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