North Central Missouri College in Trenton has been recognized nationally in the latest community college rankings by the Washington Monthly, a not-for-profit publication produced in Washington, D.C. NCMC is ranked 23rd in their 50 Best Community Colleges of 2010. No other Missouri colleges made the list, but schools located in Minnesota and Kansas were ranked first and second.
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The Washington Monthly notes that the quality of education that exists among community colleges is of particular importance, as approximately half of U.S. students begin their college careers at community colleges.
“Community colleges have the toughest job in higher education, teaching academically and financially challenged students with a fraction of the resources given to four-year institutions.That makes it essential to spotlight the schools that have surmounted these challenges and served their students well,” wrote Kevin Carey, Policy Director of the Education Sector, an independent think tank in Washington. “The best community colleges have found that when you set high expectations, students will live up to them – even when those students face barriers to graduation.”
NCMC Dean of Student Services Kristen Alley said that college rankings are often criticized for measuring items that have very little to do with student engagement and learning outcomes; however, the Washington Monthly reviews items such as active and collaborative learning, student-faculty interaction, and support for learning.
“Their methodology includes the use of the Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE) and data from the US Department of Education,” Mrs. Alley said. “We have conducted the CCSSE on campus for the past few years, and its findings indicate that NCMC is excelling in all five benchmark areas: Active and Collaborative Learning, Student Effort, Academic Challenge, Student-Faculty Interaction, and Support for Learners. The pure scores and raw data mean very little until it is translated into student success, and in follow-up surveys NCMC students tend to excel at higher rates and are more likely to persist at four-year institutions than their native-students. Our success, rankings aside, truly lies in the success of each of our students.”
“NCMC is proud to make the Top 50 and represent Missouri in the rankings,” Mrs. Alley continued. “Our student demographics demonstrate a wide variety of learners due to our open admissions standards, low cost, and local appeal. As a result, our students tend to be older, have jobs and families, tend to be first-generation students, and have a wide range of ability in the classroom and with technology. Forty-eight percent of NCMC students receive the Pell grant, while the national average is 41 percent. We believe the variety of learners we have on campus enriches the classroom experience and creates a campus culture that is welcoming for everyone.”
“Higher education is facing severe budget cuts in the upcoming year; however, we at NCMC have worked very hard to make the most of our allocations and this ranking illustrates it,” President Dr. Neil Nuttall said. “We have re-organized parts of campus and looked at various cost-saving measures while increasing our level of funding for scholarships and placing a high priority on the institutional mission, creating lifelong learners. In light of these obstacles and barriers to education, NCMC has not sacrificed quality. I am very proud of our faculty who maintain high expectations of all of our students, though each student brings to the classroom varying degrees of knowledge. I am equally as proud of our staff, who work long hours behind the scenes to assist students who have high levels of anxiety created by just stepping onto campus and indicating a willingness to (re)start their academic journey.”