Progress 09/01/24 to 08/31/25
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience for this project is primarily the students of Cankdeska Cikana Community College, with particular focus on first-time students, who may face unique challenges in pursuing higher education. Many of these students are balancing academics with work, family responsibilities, and financial pressures, making access to strong student support services essential. Within this audience, the project seeks to serve both full-time and part-time students across all academic programs, including those working toward certificates, associate degrees, and terminal credentials. Students who plan to transfer to four-year institutions are also a key focus, as the college is working to strengthen transfer pathways and increase transfer rates. In addition to current students, the project's reach extends to alumni, who represent an important resource for mentoring, networking, and career opportunities. By building and engaging an alumni network, the college can create stronger connections between past and current students while also strengthening long-term institutional support. The target audience also includes faculty and staff who directly support student success. Through professional development and training, they gain the tools needed to provide effective academic, career, and personal guidance. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Direct Student Support Training The Career/Alumni/Transfer Specialist has engaged in ongoing professional development related to career counseling, student retention strategies, and best practices for supporting first-generation and Native students. This training strengthens the specialist's ability to assist students with barriers to academic and career success. Data & Tracking Capacity Staff have had opportunities to build skills in student data tracking and reporting, particularly around retention, graduation rates, and satisfactory academic progress. These skills are critical as CCCC works toward establishing accurate baseline data for transfer students, part-time students, and graduates completing terminal degrees. Technology & Digital Access With the rollout of laptops for first-time students, staff have participated in training related to digital learning tools, online student support systems, and troubleshooting technology access barriers. This ensures students are better supported in navigating both in-person and online coursework. Student Success & Retention Strategies Professional development opportunities have included workshops and training sessions on best practices in retention, persistence, and completion strategies, with a focus on adapting them to the unique needs of the CCCC student population. Networking & Collaboration The project has encouraged staff to engage with regional and national higher education networks, including sessions on Native-serving institutions, alumni engagement, and transfer pathways. These connections strengthen CCCC's ability to learn from peer institutions and apply new strategies locally. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Results from the project have been shared regularly with both internal and external audiences to ensure transparency and accountability. Updates are provided through monthly reports presented to the Board of Directors and to the Data Driven Decisions Committee, allowing leadership to remain informed of progress and emerging needs in real time. Broader outcomes and key achievements are highlighted in the college's annual report, which provides the community with a comprehensive view of institutional growth and student success. In addition, CCCC uses its social media platforms to share accomplishments and milestones more widely, celebrating student achievements and keeping the public engaged with the college's ongoing work. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Efforts to strengthen retention and persistence will remain a priority, with continued outreach from the Career/Alumni/Transfer Specialist and expanded use of early intervention strategies to support students at risk of falling behind academically. The college will also focus on maintaining strong graduation rates by providing ongoing academic support and career planning resources. Enrollment management will be another area of emphasis. Strategies will include outreach to prospective students, enhanced advising, and communication campaigns to maintain fall, spring, and summer enrollment numbers at or above target levels. To move forward on transfer and terminal degree goals, the college will establish accurate tracking processes and institutional baseline data for part-time students who transfer post-completion, as well as for graduates completing terminal degrees. Once established, these benchmarks will guide the development of data-driven goals in future years. In addition, work will begin on improving transfer rates for full-time students, with a target of at least a 1% increase per year. Another key focus will be the enhancement of alumni and career services. Staff will continue building a comprehensive alumni database, gathering accurate contact information, and laying the groundwork for an active alumni network. This network will be used to expand mentoring, networking, and career opportunities for current students and recent graduates. Development of a career/transfer post-completion database will also begin, allowing the college to more effectively track outcomes and strengthen support for students beyond graduation.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Cankdeska Cikana Community College (CCCC) continues to build on its commitment to student success, blending strong academic support with services that address the broader needs of its students. This year, the college provided 44 first-time students with laptops, ensuring they had the tools necessary to fully participate in their coursework. Beyond technology access, students have also benefited from personalized support: the Career/Alumni/Transfer Specialist has connected with nearly 300 students, making close to 700 contacts to offer guidance on a wide range of issues. These efforts have helped students overcome barriers that might otherwise have interfered with their education or career progress. While overall enrollment between 2023 and 2024 dipped slightly, the college remains in a strong position. Student numbers continue to stand well above pre-COVID levels, and summer enrollment in terms of full-time equivalents is now five times higher than in 2020. Retention rates, a critical indicator of student persistence, have remained steady. Fall-to-fall retention has stayed above 40% since the 2020-2021 academic year, and fall-to-spring retention for 2024-2025 is currently 61%. These figures reflect the college's ongoing efforts to create a supportive environment where students can stay on track. Student academic performance is also trending upward. The percentage of students making Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) reached 60% in Fall 2024, compared to a pre-COVID three-year average of just 48%. This growth demonstrates that not only are students staying enrolled, but more of them are excelling academically as well. Graduation numbers tell a similar story of progress. CCCC has continued to see record-setting outcomes, with 80 students completing their programs in the Class of 2023-2024. This milestone reflects the success of both the college's academic programs and its student support services, which together ensure that more students are able to reach the finish line.
Publications
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