Brittany Dixon starts classes this month at Tidewater Community College with a clear goal in mind: In two years, she'll earn an associate degree that will launch her on the way to a career as a nurse anesthetist.
Statistically, she has about a 1-in-10 chance of reaching that goal.
It's startling but true: Only 10.8 percent of full-time TCC students graduate from the two-year institution within three years. It's the third-lowest graduation rate among Virginia's 23 community colleges and is less than half the nationwide rate.
For years, community colleges focused primarily on access: opening up higher education, once an enclave for the elite, to a broader spectrum of students.
They have succeeded on a grand scale. Today, Virginia's community colleges serve 250,000 students - two out of every three public undergraduate college students in the state. In 40 years, TCC - whose four campuses now serve nearly 40,000 students a year - has become the biggest institution of higher learning in Hampton Roads.
In a sense, community colleges have become victims of their own success.
A high school diploma is no longer a ticket to a living wage, but tuition rates at four-year colleges are soaring. So community colleges are getting flooded with applicants, and - as open-door institutions - they are required to take all comers. Many, TCC included, are finding it difficult to deal with the onslaught.
Now, with enrollments bulging, administrators are turning their attention to a new challenge: helping more students finish the programs they sign up for.
Graduation rates are at once the dirty little secret of the community college world and a pet peeve of administrators at TCC and around the country who - while acknowledging that it is a legitimate concern - argue that the statistic is a misleading measure of how well they're fulfilling their mission.
They say graduation rates are rooted in the traditional, four-year model of higher education, a far cry from the nontraditional student body they serve today.
Dixon is a poster child for that new world.
The petite 18-year-old graduated in the spring from Oscar Smith High School in Chesapeake, where she was homecoming queen. She chose TCC because it is affordable and close to home.
She is a single mother of a 1-year-old son, Adrian, who'll stay with Dixon's stepmother while she attends classes. To help make ends meet, she plans to keep working part time at Best Buy, where she is a cashier, while carrying a full course load at TCC.
She approaches those multiple challenges with a confident attitude. "I can do it," she said during a break at an orientation session last month at TCC's Chesapeake campus.
But the long odds she faces are keeping the experts up nights.
"It certainly is a huge problem for community colleges and a huge problem for America," said Robert McCabe, executive director of the National Alliance of Community and Technical Colleges. "We need a well-prepared work force. The forecast long-term is that about 75 percent of jobs will require some post-secondary education."
Why are graduation rates so low? There are many reasons.
A big one is underpreparation. It is probably no coincidence that while TCC's graduation rate is among the lowest in the state, it has the highest proportion of students enrolled in remedial classes: 22.4 percent.
That includes students who need help with English or math, or both, with those deficient in math accounting for the largest number.
Typically, McCabe said, about half of underprepared students fail to complete their remedial programs and end up dropping out.
Quality of instruction is another factor. One reason community colleges are so affordable - average annual tuition and fees in Virginia are one-third the cost of the average four-year public college - is that they make heavy use of part-time instructors, who are much cheaper than full-time faculty.
At TCC, less than half of the total credit hours of instruction - 47 percent in the 2006-07 academic year - are taught by full-time faculty. That's in the middle of the pack among community colleges in Virginia, where the rate ranges from 40 percent to 60 percent.
A 2006 study by Daniel Jacoby, an economics professor at the University of Washington, found a strong correlation between heavy use of part-time faculty and low graduation rates in community colleges.
Jacoby's findings ring true with McCabe, a retired president of Miami Dade Community College. While part-time, or adjunct, instructors might be highly qualified in their fields of study, he said, their teaching skills are sometimes lacking.
Of particular concern, McCabe said, a high percentage of remedial classes nationally are taught by part-time faculty: "And if there's any place that students need a lot of help, it's there."
Often, Jacoby found, part-time faculty lack offices, phones, mailboxes, computers and other basic equipment to do their work, which makes it harder to meet with and advise students.
Lisa Kleiman, TCC's director of institutional effectiveness, said part-time instructors at TCC don't typically have individual offices, but they do have access to a group office area on each campus with phones, computers and college e-mail accounts.
Kleiman noted that TCC pulled its graduation rate up to 10.8 percent in 2007 from 8.3 percent in 2006, when it ranked last among Virginia community colleges. It was the second-best improvement in the state that year.
"We have worked very diligently in the past two to three years trying to address these rates," she said. "They're important, but they need to be looked at in a larger frame."
The formula for the rates, known as Student Right-to-Know rates, was established by Congress in 1990. All colleges must report the data in order for their students to receive federal financial aid.
The pool of students counted in those rates - first-time, full-time students who enroll in a degree program in a given year - amounts to only a small slice of the entire student body. At TCC in 2007, it included 2,014 students - about 5 percent of total enrollment.
A big reason is that two-thirds of TCC students are part-time - students like Bernita Harrison, 26, a 2000 graduate of Great Bridge High School in Chesapeake. She can't afford to give up her full-time job at Geico, the auto insurer, so she plans to be a half-time student. She hopes to get her associate degree in four to five years.
Many full-time students - like Dixon - juggle jobs on the side too, which reduces their chances of graduating within three years.
Another factor in Hampton Roads is the area's large military population, whose studies are subject to being interrupted by deployments. "When the war ramped up, we had students who had to leave in the middle of class," Kleiman said.
Finally, the graduation rates don't count students who transfer to a four-year college without getting an associate degree. More and more students are choosing that option, Kleiman said, thanks to a growing number of agreements with four-year colleges that make such transfers easier than in the past.
Low graduation rates at TCC and community colleges in other urban areas like Hampton and Richmond reflect, in part, the abundance of four-year options in those areas, Kleiman said. "Graduation rates tend to be higher in rural areas because often the community college is the only game in town," she said.
As an alternative to graduation rates, Virginia community colleges have devised a more inclusive "success measure" that counts all students who earn a degree, transfer without a degree or still are enrolled after four years. TCC's rate on that scale was 41.6 percent in 2007, ranking 11th among the 23 colleges in the system. Of that number, 8.1 percent transferred without a degree.
Nevertheless, Kleiman said, TCC administrators recognize that they still have work to do. In recent years, they've instituted several measures to help steer more students to successful outcomes, including the summer orientation sessions and a required "college success skills" class that teaches study skills, time management and the like.
"Of the students who come to us, many are first-generation students," Kleiman said. "They need a lot of support services.... They say, 'I want to go to college,' but they don't really know what it means to be a college student. They don't have somebody at home who went to college that they can use as a mentor.
"So many are terrified to take that first step - to walk through the door."
Bill Sizemore, (757) 446-2276, bill.sizemore@pilotonline.com
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True ChrisG
Woah ChrisG, LTNS. True, but I'm not sure the cost is worth it. If there is something I'm interested in, I can read about it for free. MIT and other schools put a good amount of material on line. And to be honest, many of the people I know that do good are self-starters. It actually gets deeper.
No one called it out that the smaller towns have a higher college graduation rate on the graph.
college and spelling...
Good thing I is a engeneering major, since it would be really embarrassing for an English major to mistake "no" for "know". :)
And Ethan....
...(continued from previous post)...
And Ethan, you might no some people who have degrees and don't use them, but you also know people like Bart G. who get a lot out of their degrees. All a degree can do is open more doors for you. You and I both got lucky in that our interest in tech and computers growing up is the equivalent of a bachelors degree in computer science or information tech. That, and the job market in computers is such high demand that a degree isn't important if you have the skills and some job history (which is why you started out making diddly at Infi, but built on that experience to open doors for your future). FWIW, I think you're very smart, and yeah, college probably isn't for you, but if you could make it past the filler material and into grad school, I think you'd be a genius as an electrical engineer or computer scientist. Every class I take now (masters program at VT in elect. engineering), I think, man, Ethan (and Bart) sure would love this. Too bad there's so much filler at the undergraduate level. I understand the reason for general education requirements, but a four year degree is a long haul, and sometimes not worth the opportunity cost. Stil
A few notes
First off, to those of you with stories about how you took classes at TCC as a refresher course or towards a certificate, the graduation rates count, "first-time, full-time students who enroll in a degree program in a given year." So if you enrolled in a certificate class, or took a paramedics class, or already had a degree but took a few at TCC, you aren't counted in the statistics at all, for or against.
I was probably counted against ODU's graduation rate since I went to school there for a year in 1993, but didn't graduate in 5 years. I started working full time and transferred to TCC for night classes. I did eventually return to ODU and finish my BS degree, but it was 12 years later. In the end, I got my AS in engineering from TCC at age 28, a BS in electrical engineering at ODU at age 30, and now I'm working on a MSEE at VT at age 33. All three schools have had good and bad instructors, but all have turned out to be great opportunities (and it's been great working for companies with tuition reimbursment, I'm debt free!)
And Ethan, you might no some people who have degrees and don't use them, but you also know people like Bart G. who get a lot out of their degrees. A
The answer
America averages a 30% drop out rate in high school. 50% of the remaining 70% that graduate high school go on to some form of college. About 17% of all college freshman actually graduate from a four-year institution with a BS/BA. Add on high fuel prices, commuting times, apathy, waiting around time in between classes as commuters and it's no wonder the pressure is on for 18, 19, 20 year-olds at commuter colleges. Daily college life is totally different at resident four-year colleges. A home, stability, friends, greeks, sports, road trips, and pledge study halls establish balance and interest during college life. Never sell yourself short on going four-year when possible and Greek too. Many times I've seen students fall out due to financial/marital pressures on their parents that result in financial collapse due to rising costs and variable economic instabilities affecting specific geo-demographics. America's military offers awesome choices.
It Can Be Done!
I'm a recent graduate from TCC, it took me 7 years to complete my degree. There were many roadblocks I faced, but I did it. If getting a degree was easy, everyone would have one. I'm currently a student at ODU and I feel that TCC has prepared me enough for me to further my education. I love TCC, and it's a well respected two year college. Don't give up, if you want your degree it can be done!
computer testing and public transportation support
I took that Math and English test. I took high school a long time ago, so the knowledge didn't just pop into place when taking the test. But with jogging, it began to come back. Unfortunately, it's a computer test that does not allow you to go back and correct your answers. This created a situation where even though I knew the correct answer before I finished, I could not go back and correct my mistakes. A inexpensive, quick, review course would of been helpful but was not offered; only a full price, full time course after you failed.
Also the evening courses are out of the question for anyone who doesn't drive due to the bus system stopping service at 6 PM. My daughter might have to chose between being forced to buy a car to get home or taking even longer than the 2 and a half years it's already taken her to graduate.
davidf74725
(Getting off the subject of the story), I know exactly what you are saying. Unfortunately, as I'm sure you are aware, that comes from a federal law, "Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act" (FERPA). When my husband's son went to TCC, he didn't bother to study/go to class. We had absolutely no way to find out how he was doing because he didn't live with us. So we wasted another semester's tuition. It doesn't matter who pays the bill.
What astounded me was finding out that anyone can pay the student's tuition (of course!) but a student can drop the classes before the deadline and pocket that money that wasn't his/hers to begin with. We'll never know if that's what actually happened in this case, because my husband was never allowed to see the grades.
Who is surprised?
Sorry, but anyone who has lived in Virginia for any period of time and paid attention to the overall educational system from kindergarten through graduate schools shouldn't be surprised by this article.
The most significant statement in the whole article is this - "...75 percent of jobs will require some post-secondary education." The reality is that if there were actually quality k-12 education in the state or the country the need for "post-secondary" education wouldn't exist and colleges and universities could return to their original purposes. Instead, in Virginia as in so many other states throughout the country k-12 education prepares students for basically nothing. Community colleges become glorified high schools and some universities become glorified community colleges.
I often think of the Virginia Tech television ad where the president of the university is supposedly touting the positive nature of a TCC education. His closing line, however, really isn't an endorsement if one thinks about it. He states basically that TCC graduates do as well at Tech as "incoming freshman". Somehow I would think having two additional years of pseudo-college level education would result
How is it
How is it that the remedial educational rate at TCC is over twenty-two percent for english and mathmatics? Sound like someone didn't meet the grade in high school and the colleges are trying to fix it. There is no way that a person can possibly make it in college without an english and math base. Understanding the open door policy on admisssions, it needs to be linked to SOME ability from the student. TTC provides a good education and their staff work hard. Seems to me that the lions share of the blame lies with the students for whatever reason.
Mr. Daniel Causey
"A quality education can be afforded to all those who seek enrollment at TCC and who wish to apply themselves to rigorous study. Slackers need not apply. "
I sat through semester after semester of adjuncts that could not teach. Some did not even try. Granted, some of the teachers were top rate but many didn't evenm stay on the subject at hand. I was a presidents list student there. When you talk about the state wide numbers; perhaps you should have noted they are actually listed w/ the article? TCC is at the bottom.
Ethan, you cannot seriously be advocating renting and now skipping college? All in good fun. I couldn't let that one pass.
I attend Thomas Nelson CC, I
I attend Thomas Nelson CC, I am a little older than the average student. I notice the lack of any work ethic in some students. They watch movies on laptops, walk out half way through the class, attend class sporadically, or sleep through the class. Apparently partying through the night is more important. Then the students complain about poor grades or tests that are to hard. They seem to want "A's" with little or no effort. Dont blame the schools or teachers blame the students lack of motivation and work ethic. Just remember the professor from Norfolk State that was fired for requiring passing grades to pass the course.
TCC
TCC = Tidewater Country Club
It's no wonder
that the graduation rate is so low. The staff at TCC are rude and not uniformly trained- you get different answers from different people within the same department. Try calling the financial aid department- the phone doesn't get answered and voicemails go unreturned. As for the other issues at the school- if you have pending financial aid that isn't processed by tuition dealine you get get dropped from your classes repeatedly ever semester. Try getting someone to help you fix that. You are at the mercy of the finacial aid folks who don't care. It seems the prevailing theme amongst front line staff at the college is that they are there to collect a paycheck, not help the students. The problems that my daughter currently has with TCC, specifically financial aid are the same problems I encountered 21 years ago. I didn't graduate from TCC. I transferred to VCU and graduated from there without any problems.
Ira
Oh yea Ira, I saw your dig on me on the other thread... and yes, I could afford the nut on a $400K condo with 0 down on a 30 year loan, I just understand "value for the money."
TIDEWATER COMMUNITY COLLEGE: FROM HERE, GO ANYWHERE.
The citizens of the Commonwealth are well served by all of the educational efforts exhibited by the Faculty and Staff of Tidewater Community College. A quality education can be afforded to all those who seek enrollment at TCC and who wish to apply themselves to rigorous study. Slackers need not apply. The College has multiple articulation agreements (student transfer agreements) with well respected Universities and Colleges throughout the state. From here, go to: Old Dominion University, the College of William and Mary, James Madison University, the University of Virginia, and Virginia Tech! (As well as others.)
THE LIFE OF A COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENT
These graduation numbers are indicative of the community college student body as a whole. Community Colleges' throughout the state have a larger share of students who are:1.Highly transient students 2. Open admissions applicants (two edged sword) 3. Students that are underprepared for the University(see above)4.An older student population(The average age for a TCC student is 29. These students have families, jobs, bills, and other responsibilities. These real life issues will naturally slow down their acquisition of a college degree. With a larger influx of students possessing the above said traits/issues a lower graduation rate (3 year time frame) is only inevitable. Now mind you, many of these students will go on to graduate with their respective degree, just not in the typical 3 year window.
Degrees
Just to add some input to all of those that feel a degree is just a piece of paper. A degree may only be a piece of paper, but that piece of paper shows what kind of person you are when it pertains to dedication, ethics, responsibility, and overall character. If you don't have a degree because you think it's a waste of time then your character is already revealed. I do have a Bachelor's degree from a different school, but even though I may not remember too much from my college coursework, I'm able to show a potential employer that I can finish what I start, that I'm dedicated to finishing tasks, and so on. A degree is more than just a piece of paper, it's evidence of personal accomplishment and that's what employers are looking for in an applicant.
"Degrees ain't all that, but
"Degrees ain't all that, but it's a profitable business."
The only people who will deride higher education never did it. Maybe not the paper, but the experience made me a better thinker and problem solver. After all, Bill Gates never finished, but he did learn. Maybe the writer of the above quote could take economics and quit acting as a financial oracle who rents his home. No dig intended, just pointing out something I learned in college about trusting your sources.
SCHOOLS HAVE FAILED THE PARENTS
As the father of a now ex colledge student.Here is my observation.When you try to get input from the school you get nothing unless the student has okd this to be done.So when I tried numerous times to get anything Grades , Attendace classes class size and the list goes on I was told nothing.I had to get this from the student.Well I did get a letter and a phone call when I missed a payment.And I did get a letter when my student son was dropped due to bad grades and non attendance.I did get a letter and a call when a unpaid parking ticket with my license number had not been paid.So in short if money is due they will talk to you but nothing else.And for those are wondering yes my ex student has repaid me for all those classes.
A degree does indeed open doors...
...depending on the career one wants to pursue. As a teacher, my daughter's financial ROI isn't all that wonderful...but without it, she would not be able to pursue her passion as an educator. For myself, the financial ROI has been great, and that has allowed me to do a lot for my family.
Just some thoughts
As a graduate of TCC, I can attest that I had absolutely no problems there. I went for two years, worked a part-time job the entire time, got an A.S., transferred to a four year with no problems, and got a scholarship to boot. How did I do it? I went to my classes and studied hard. Period.
I agree that many students are not ready for college work, especially when it comes to reading and writing skills. I also agree that outside pressures are at work here, but I tend to think of the majority of those as excuses rather than valid reasons. So far as adjuncts go, perhaps the article could have shed some light on why there are so few full time employees. Academia is not particularly kind to adjuncts, and to achieve any kind of full time status at an academic institution is not easy.
So many students slide through the system in high school, and when they get to college they realize they can't do it anymore. Some have the "I can get by" mentality. Others create excuses and try to manipulate the system. Some work hard and make it. I do not think that the problem is the college. I think it is the generation of kids that are going.
Degree
It isn't always about the degree one attains; it is the intestinal fortitude and perseverance that one has to accomplish. Go Community College (and keep the cost down and education high).
Hmm
I started at TCC after graduating high school, and quickly realized college wasn't for me. Now I just shake my head when I hear kids talking about parking tickets from ODU linked to the DMV, and high book prices on books with subjects that haven't changed in ages. I don't have a degree, and don't really want one. I run into people who have degrees that don't remember anything about the subjects (electrical engineering, etc). If an employer is going to judge me on a piece of paper, versus what I can offer to the company or how I can save them money, then I probably don't want to work there. The only way I would consider a degree is if there is a high ROI, that is, at least $60K+ a year bump in salary, and I don't see that happening. Too many book smart people with degrees that have little to no common sense, I've seen many people with good degrees that I'd never hire nor want working with me. Degrees ain't all that, but it's a profitable business.
Nope
The Universities have not priced themselves out of anything or they wouldn't have to turn away so many students each year because there is no room.
University dinosaur
I believe it is the four year schools who are out of touch with reality. Modern education requires a different mind set from the ancient, tenured secret society system. The university has succeeded in pricing themselves out of contention for the consumer student's dollar. Those students now sign up for classes at TCC, gain an AA/AS degree, and then transfer to higher education for the final two years. The universities still think they are priests annointing education on the chosen few, in a time when the employment models require a Renaissance in gaining needed skills. Instead of failing, TCC is leading the charge in this new educational paradym.
Disorganized
Her's my take. Before I moved on from TCC I had to take a computer competency class or take a test showing competency. As my 4 year degree required it anyhow, I would take it at TCC as it was cheaper. 3 weeks after signing up I still could not access the online course. After repeated attempts to contact the instructor she calls me on a Friday. She tells me there is a test due on Monday based on the last 3 weeks of work. Stunned, I ask her how Iwas supposed to accomplish this while tending to my other duties. She said she didn't care, wasn't her problem. The drop date had passed to get my money back. I approached EVERYONE at this school, even the president. The person in charge of appeals told me not to bother...even w/ written proof of the instructors failings. I never got my BS from there. They ripped me off.
Lies, Damned Lies, and Statistics : -)
That's what Mark Twain said, anyway.
My husband and I both graduated from Community College (not TCC) back in the early 90s. Today, we both have MS degrees and he is about to complete his doctorate. However, it should be noted that he went to TCC after he earned a masters in order to complete and refresh some science and math courses for post-graduate school. So, technically he is one of those non-graduates TCC is reporting.
Our oldest daughter was a so-called non-graduate from TCC...but, in reality, she transferred her credits to a four year college and is today a school teacher specializing in ESL.
So, there you have it...two successful people who are not a part of that 10% graduation rate! Statistics don't always tell the story.
Drain on taxpayers?
donvabeach says that the open door has to be closed, because this policy is a drain on taxpayers. Bull. If not for the open door, I would not have my AS today. TCC provided a major back in the 70's and 80's in Industrial Management. They also provided courses that supplement many trade apprenticeship programs. Community colleges are a mixture of many types of programs for all people. That's why they are called "community" colleges. We must remember that all student are taxpayers, too, and that they pay tuition, too, in order to take advantage of the education provided by a multitude of programs. The Community College system is about as democratic as you can get in an educational institution, and that's a good thing.
The goal is
not to produce graduates, rather, to produce educated graduates. Here's my advice TCC: better to maintain your integrity than your diploma count, like some other local "universities" do. If they need failin', fail 'em!