Photo Courtesy of CUNY
By Forum Staff
U. S. Rep. Grace Meng (D-Flushing) recently introduced a bill to help boost the graduation rates of community colleges.
According to the congresswoman, the goal of the Community College Student Success Act is to replicate the success of the Accelerated Study in Associate Programs, a program that first began at the City University of New York and that was piloted in the 6th Congressional District at Queensborough Community College in Bayside. Meng said that the proposed legislation would provide funding to public community colleges across the country to administer student support services, including academic advising, career counseling, and flexible financial assistance tailored to the needs of individual students.
Meng noted that while community colleges enroll almost 40 percent of the undergraduates in the country, only 20 percent of full-time CC students manage to graduate within three years.
“The ASAP program at Queensborough Community College more than doubled the three-year graduation rate of students completing an associates’ degree, and also increased the number of students who went on to complete a bachelor’s degree,” Meng said. “I want to thank CUNY Chancellor James Milliken, Queensborough Community College President Dr. Diane Call, and all of the professors and staff who helped make the ASAP program such a success. The results of ASAP speak for themselves. Let’s encourage our students to aim higher with programs, like ASAP, that are proven to work.”
The funding secured by the CCSSA would help boost degree completion through the provision of student support services:
Academic Advising: Advisors will provide ongoing, academic and personal advising to students including helping to clearly lay out a three-year graduation plan and creating strong transfer pathways for students interested in continuing their education.
Academic and Career Support: Students on academic probation or who have been referred to developmental courses will be required to meet weekly with a tutor. Students will also meet with an on-campus career counselor or participate in career services events at least once a semester to promote career planning and success.
Financial Support: Students will receive a tuition waiver to cover the gap between tuition and fees and financial aid. Additionally, students satisfying all the meeting requirements will receive a financial incentive, such as a transportation pass or gas card, at least once per month.
“We have known for some time that ASAP offers unparalleled results, graduating two to three times the number of students in three years,” said CUNY Chancellor Milliken. “And recent research has verified what we long believed – that the economic impacts of the program far outweigh the public investment. This makes a compelling case for expansion of this transformational program.”
