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At Central Carolina Technical College, we are committed to the success of our students. See what we are doing to make improvements for our Titans!
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What is Achieving the Dream (ATD)?
Achieving the Dream is a partner and champion of hard working leaders at more than 300 community colleges across the country. The organization was founded to close achievement gaps and accelerate student success nationwide by guiding institutional change, influencing public policy, generating knowledge, and engaging the public.
ATD Core Team Members
Co-Chairs
Members
Jessica Lea
Executive Director, Institutional Effectiveness and Accreditation
(803) 778-6667, ext. 267
M603
Mission
Achieving the Dream is a partner and champion of hard working leaders at more than 300 community colleges across the country. The ATD Network of community colleges are distinct: choosing transformation over tradition, curiosity over inaction, innovation over status quo. Drawing on expert coaches, groundbreaking programs, and national peer network, customized growth plans are built to address the unique challenges each institution faces. ATD provides institutional leaders, faculty, and staff with actionable solutions grounded in years of experience and the knowledge of what it’s like to be in their shoes.
Goals
Priority One: Establish a culture of evidence in decision making
Priority Two: Increase retention of part-time students from 40% to 60% through teaching and learning
Priority Three: Increase the percentage of part-time students earning 15 credit hours in their first year, from 28% to 40%, through early connections
Updates
August 18, 2023: ATD Co-Chairs revealed the Student Success ATD webpage, professional development for employees.
August 18, 2023: ATD Co-Chairs facilitated a breakout session during Fall Kickoff 2023 to bring awareness related to “belonging” and student success at CCTC.
August 24, 2023: ATD Co-Chairs met virtually with ATD Coaches to share updates and brainstorm about future events. Highlights from the meeting included the Student Success ATD webpage, feedback from Fall Kickoff 2023, and agenda items for the September ATD Coaches visit.
September 12, 2023: Initial recruitment for ATD Action Team members ended. ATD Action Teams were formed as a collaborative effort to ensure we are implementing outlined strategies, interventions, and activities to support our three ATD Priority Goals.
September 18, 2023: 2023 Data & Analytics Summit (ATD Core Team members and various employees took part in virtual workshops to learn about unique ways data can be used to transform CCTC.)
September 27 – 28, 2023: ATD Coaches made a visit to campus! Coaches met with College leadership, connected with students, and extended a professional development opportunity to all employees on “Imposter Syndrome”.
February 19 – 24, 2024: ATD Core Team members traveled to Orlando, FL for the 2024 DREAM Conference.
February 21, 2024: Ashley Ardis, accounting student, presented at the DREAM24 annual convening, sharing her story of resiliency, and belonging with over two thousand attendees.
March 21 – 22, 2024: ATD Coaches visited campus to connect with the core team, college leadership, strategy leads, and facilitate faculty professional development session.