Data, awards, honors: GCC stacking up as one of the very best community colleges

A 29-percent graduation rate may not sound impressive, but that rate makes GCC one of the very best community colleges in New York State.

Data complied by Integrated Postsecondary Education System (IPEDS) shows GCC is ahead of neighborhing schools in Erie, Niagara and Monroe counties for gradutation rate.

CNN reported last week that GCC is among the top 100 community colleges in the nation for either graduating students or helping them get into a four-year school.

According to CNN, 54 percent of GCC's full-time students obtained either a degree or a transfer, tying the school with Herkimer Community College for best student success rate in New York.

“The IPEDS data and follow-up report validate what we are most proud of at GCC — that we are a student-centered institution and we understand that students come to our doors with all kinds of interests, needs and capabilities,” said Donna Rae Sutherland, GCC’s associate director of marketing communications. “At every level of this institution, student success is our primary motivator and it is reassuring to see this culture play out in nationwide statistics and reports.”

Like all community colleges, GCC accepts students from all walks of life with a variety of backgrounds and educational needs. Many of the students are not necessarily focused on either a degree nor moving onto a four-year school.

For those who are, the available data seems to indicate that GCC is among the best schools students can pick, which was the point of the CNN article titled, "Community college: How to avoid 'dropout factories'."

With tuition at four-year colleges skyrocketing, a growing number of high school seniors are looking to community colleges as a low-cost option.

But figuring out which community college will give you the best chance of transferring to your dream school can be difficult. There's very little standardized information out there that students can use to compare community colleges. As a result, many students end up enrolling in the community college that is closest to them, not realizing that a school just a few miles away might be a much better option.

The CNN report is based on data besides IPEDS, but the IPEDS reports support the underlining message of CNN's story.

Here's a chart using the latest available IPEDS data showing how GCC ranks compared to neighboring community colleges:

College Grad Rate Transfer Rate GCC 29% 26% Erie 17% 19% Finger Lakes 30% 19% Herkimer 30% 23% Monroe 23% 21% Niagara 24% 14%

Sutherland said GCC ranks highest, as well, among its peer-group of 30 schools, which are medium-sized, rural community colleges.

"More and more the cat's getting out of bag that GCC does a pretty good job at accomplishing our mission," Sutherland said. "They’re always challenges and we always want to improve. Just as Stuart Steiner always challenged us to improve, President Jim Sunser is following the same path. The culture at GCC is pretty good. We remain focused on the students."

While not all students come to GCC with the intention of graduating or moving onto a four-year school, many who do are not as prepared as they should be for the rigors of a college education, which is another challenge for GCC to overcome.

According to data provided by GCC, 70 percent of GCC’s first-year students require remedial assistance in math comprehension and 36 percent require remedial reading.

Even so, it's not just IPEDS data that shows GCC is outpacing most other community colleges in student success rates.

In April, GCC was one of the top 120 colleges recognized by the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program and invited to compete for the $1 million Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence.

GCC was selected for the prestigious competition based on data reflecting rates of graduation, transfer, retention, performance improvement and equity in completion outcomes.

The college submitted the follow-up application in late May. The 10 finalists for the Aspen prize will be announced in September. The prize will be awarded next spring.

The other recent honor for GCC was being chosen for the Voluntary Framework of Accountability.

GCC is just one of 40 community colleges in the nation chosen and the only one in New York.

The VFA selection is based on longer-term outcomes and an improved set of indicators to more accurately measure performance in the areas of community college readiness, student progress and completion, job preparation and employment. The VFA is a collaborative effort with the American Association of Community Colleges, Association of Community College Trustees and the college board with a grant from the Gates and Lumina Foundation.

“IPEDS, Aspen and the VFA -- these are all great indicators that GCC is a great place to get ahead," Sutherland said. "So, while summer may be a good time to relax, it’s also the perfect time to start thinking about the future. We encourage anyone who has ever considered college to visit one of our seven campus locations and consider enrolling this fall.”