According to current research, only 10% of community college students complete their associates degree within 6 years of beginning school. There are many benefits to college completion, including being more prepared to work in our competitive society, earning higher wages, and having more opportunities to be successful. Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society has teamed up with President Obama to double community college completion in America by the year 2020.
Mesa Community College's Omicron Beta Chapter has dedicated themselves to promoting completion by holding signing events every year and educating students on the importance of college completion. In addition to our ceremony, we have found it helpful to speak to students about the free resources that Mesa Community College offers to help us succeed.
Community College Completion Corps
Every year an average of 20% of college students drop out.
Things happen you cannot always foresee, like the loss of a job, or the addition of a family member. While 68% of these students plan to return to school, only 38% do. And yet, with an Associates-Level degree, the average person makes $8,000 more a year than someone with only a high school diploma.
An average person changes jobs 10 times in their life. Having a degree gives you the edge you need to find, keep, and advance in the work place.
Commit to complete your community college degree before you transfer and add to your future.
C4 Wall 2014-2015
Getting the wall ready for the Fall semester unveiling!
Community College Completion Call to Action in Support of Students
We believe that community college completion matters and that every student counts.
We believe that community colleges are a protectorate for hard-working students who ask no favors and rise to succeed.
We believe in every student’s potential and responsibility to succeed and that an engaged student is more likely to complete community college.
We believe the open door must not be a revolving door, and that community colleges must take responsibility for student success.
We believe that community colleges serve as essential gateways to intellectual progress and economic prosperity for more than 13 million students.
We believe that community colleges should provide all students with the essential resources and support systems that lead to college completion.
We commit to planning for college completion.
We commit to discussing career-planning with college instructors and staff.
We commit to seeking advisement on course selection to ensure timely college completion.
We commit to learning about and using college support networks and resources aiding college completion.
We commit to serving as role models by attending classes, being prepared, participating in and engaging in discussions with instructors and students inside and outside of class.
We commit to reaching out to students in need by encouraging, nurturing, and guiding them toward college completion.
We commit to helping at least one other student succeed.
We ask our college to adopt a change in institutional culture, from emphasis on access only to emphasis on access and success.
We ask our college to engage in courageous conversations and openness regarding diversity, equity, and evidence reflecting student success and institutional performance.
We ask our college, while increasing success rates for all students, to work toward eliminating the attainment gaps that separate student groups on the basis of race, ethnicity and family income.
We ask our college to act on facts to make positive changes in the interest of student success and community college completion.
We ask our college to encourage, recognize, and promote faculty and staff who create meaningful ways of supporting students in scholarly endeavors, social engagement, and career planning efforts.
We ask every community college president, trustee, administrator, faculty member, counselor, advisor, financial aid officer, staff member, and stakeholder to examine their current practices, to identify and implement ways to help students understand the added value of degrees and certifications, and to help them progress toward their goals.
We ask every community college student, student organization, faculty member, staff member, trustee, administrator, and community college stakeholder to join us by signing and sharing this commitment and call to action.