January 26, 2015 | SharkAdmin [image 1]Northwest Vista College reached a huge milestone this past fall semester by awarding 822 associate degrees and certificates (730 associate degrees and 92 certificates) – a 78 percent increase over the fall semester of 2013. Alamo Colleges’ five colleges awarded a total of 2,268 degrees and certificates in the fall semester (August to December). The NVC fall graduation rate represents 36 percent of those degrees and certificates. This is significant because traditionally students going into community college are not seeking associate degrees and the graduation rates are a lot lower than four-year universities. Roque Heredia, NVC's Graduation advising team leader, said there were a number of factors that impacted this growth, such as calling students who were close to graduating to encourage them to finish or seek another degree they may qualify for with the classes they already have taken. Additionally, his team implemented a new process that helped quickly identify students who were close to earning their degree. Roque added the college also focused more on outreach and public relations efforts to inform students about the value of an associate degree and the process of graduating. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, students who graduate with an associate degree earn an average of 19 percent more than those who only have a high school diploma. “Overall the Alamo Colleges district had a graduation goal they wanted to achieve, but we also had our internal goal to reach a larger number of students,” Roque said. “There was such a focus from my team and myself and other student advisors telling students the value of an associate degree.” Last May, the college awarded nearly 1,800 degrees and certificates, which is for the entire academic year. Students can get their degree in the fall, summer or spring semester and can participate in the annual graduation ceremony in May. NVC President Dr. Ric Baser said he is proud of the collective efforts from college employees. “Our faculty and staff support more than 16,000 students and they do so one student at a time to ensure that every student receives every opportunity to succeed,” he said. [image 2]
