North Central State College continues its partnership with Achieving the Dream by being named to its Community Vibrancy cohort
North Central State College has been named to Achieving the Dream’s Community Vibrancy cohort and will work to improve economic and social mobility for its students while also working to improve the prosperity of the community as a whole.
The Achieving the Dream Community Vibrancy cohort has recently brought North Central State College into the national project. Achieving the Dream is a project built to address systemic challenging opportunities in the community and on campus.
The ongoing Achieving the Dream efforts have impressed North Central State College President Dorey Diab, who was quoted in an article from Crawford County Now as saying, “Like the communities we serve, higher education is going through significant changes. The needs of our students and employers are evolving as quickly as technology provides enhancements to our workplace and personal lives. Our work with Achieving the Dream has continued to grow because it has helped NC State focus our efforts where they are needed most, for the success of students too often left behind. The Community Vibrancy effort we recently joined requires us to look beyond our walls and provide awareness, guidance and support throughout our community. Our success will be measured not just as our students succeed, but as our community realizes the new opportunities available for residents, businesses and leaders when barriers to personal growth and education are overcome.”
The Achieving the Dream project has been going on since 2005 at North Central State College. The project has been a major component of the school’s strategic planning.
In 2009, North Central State was named a Leader College with Achieving the Dream; two years later, North Central signed on to the National College Completion Challenge. Then in 2018, the school was named a Leader College of Distinction with Achieving the Dream, which it has maintained since. Last year, the school received Special Recognition as one of the top three participants in the Achieving the Dream initiative, and was once again recognized as a Leader College of Distinction. This year, on April 5, North Central State College was named one of only 16 colleges around the country to begin the Community Vibrancy work within Achieving the Dream. The Community Vibrancy work is a process through which the member schools work to enhance the social and economic mobility of students and employees, as well as improve the overall prosperity of the community.
Diab talked more about the importance of Achieving the Dream, saying, “The alignment of Achieving the Dream, the work it requires and the data that it generates aligns seamlessly to the mission of NC State. More importantly, it makes a difference in the lives of our students. It helps them be more successful, more often, more quickly. It’s what higher education should be about every day, for every student.”
Moving forward, North Central State College is looking to keep building its steady progress by focusing on improving student completion and retention. The school offers bachelor’s degrees, associate degrees, and certificates. It offers flexible course scheduling with 8 week terms, online, hybrid, and in person classes, and wrap around support for students. The school is also looking to increase the diversity of students on campus, and close equity gaps for minority and first generation students. That work will include expanding outreach and communication with local technical centers and high schools that have a high percentage of first generation and minority students. It also will provide peer mentoring for those students as well as professional development for faculty who are focused on inclusive teaching practices.
More information about the Community Vibrancy effort can be found on Achieving the Dream’s website.
More information about North Central State College can be found on the school’s website.