Kaua'i CC Ranks 16th Among America's Best Community Colleges

Kauaʻi Community College
Contact:
Camilla Matsumoto, (808) 245-8280
Comm Relations & Spec Projects, Chancellor's Office
Posted: Sep 20, 2013

(LIHUE, Hawaii)  Washington Monthly recently ranked Kaua‘i Community College among the best community colleges in America in an article by Kevin Carey, director of the Education Policy program at the New America Foundation.  http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/magazine/september_october_2013/features/americas_best_community_colleg046448.php.  Kaua‘i CC ranked 16th in the nation.  The rankings are “based entirely on measures of best educational practices and actual student success,” stated the article.  Significantly, five of the eight measures of the ranking came from the highly respected Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE). 

Of course a "top college" is made so by far more than the results of one survey; nonetheless the high ranking is a credit to Kaua‘i CC’s ability to serve students.   “The ranking highlights some of the great work and accomplishments of our faculty, staff, and students, and Kaua‘i CC can be proud for our achievements in best educational practices and student success,” says Chancellor Helen Cox.

“The CCSSE information provides a very clear view of how Kaua‘i CC students perceive their college experience, and that's a helpful lens for those at the college to use to find out what they are doing well, and a useful way for the community to see how the college is doing,” said Cox.

Kaua‘i CC excelled in the Support for Learning, Active & Collaborative Learning, Academic Challenge, and Student Effort categories, followed closely by First-year Retention Rate.  “We take pride in creating a supportive learning environment that helps students both learn important skill sets and reach their dreams,” said Cox.

CCSSEE, according to the article, “tracks the numbers of books and papers students are assigned, the amount of interaction with faculty, the hours spent preparing for class, and the quality of support services.  Colleges that connect with their students and challenge them to do good work get particularly high marks. . .This shows that excellence is not an accident—the best community colleges have deeply ingrained cultures of academic achievement.”   Excellence is indeed, no accident at Kaua‘i CC.