<< Back 12/11/02 SCC participates in national initiative to improve academic performance SMN Southwestern Community College recently participated in the “McGraw-Hill Forum for Student Success and Academic Change” held on the campus of Appalachian State University. The forum was an opportunity to bring together middle school, high school and higher education representatives in an effort to enhance the academic success and improve the college-going rate of students. Invited teams made up of administrators, policy-makers, educators, and influential citizens addressed national and local issues related to college access, recruitment, retention and degree completion. Participants were able to identify specific issues facing their students, schools and institutions with regard to college access and admissions; and plan efforts that will increase the number of under-represented students entering and persisting in college. Participants from Southwestern were: Patti Long, Director of SCC Collegiate Connections; Linda Dyke, Director of GEAR UP and New Century Scholars for SCC; and Melody Lawrence, SCC Financial Aid Director. As one of the 10 teams selected to participate in the four-day national event, Southwestern worked on ways to enhance collaboration efforts to include all areas of the institution. “What excited me most about the forum was our shared commitment to increasing student success for all students, at all levels of education, by all means available to us,” said Long of her experience at the event. “Every perspective was represented: K-12, Community College and University. We came back full of ideas for working even more closely with other parts of the educational community to better serve students.” Each day of the event provided plenary sessions, workshops, team sharing and opportunities to consult with institutional representatives of exemplary programs addressing access and student success practices. Each team developed and presented an action plan for enhancing the college-going and persistence rate of their students. Other institutions participating were Kansas City (Kansas) Community College, Albuquerque TVI Community College, UNC-Charlotte, Fayetteville State University, Mars Hill College, St. Louis University, Cleveland Scholars Program, NC A&T University and East Carolina University. The forum was a collaborative effort on the part of Appalachian State University, the University of North Carolina Office of the President and McGraw-Hill, Inc. For more information visit www.southwesterncc.edu on the Internet.