Student success is a national concern, and its definition varies from institution to institution and from individual to individual.

On Nov. 6 the Student Success Committee gave a campus-wide presentation of San Jose City College’s involvement, development and institutionalization of student success into the fabric of the school.

Trustee Jeffery Lease commented on his attendance at a national symposium, the Association of Community College Trustees. This group is a national community of 1,200 trustees, faculty and administrators whose topic of discussion and major focus was creating policy for defining and implementing student success.

“In the end, the board needs to be committed to excellence and creating accountability that is bold enough to address the magnitude of the problem,” Lease said.

A handout was distributed containing various definitions of student success from different grouped:

• The Student Success Task Force defines student success as the “percentage of community college students completing educational goals … or earning a certificate or degree or achieving transfer readiness.
• CLASS defines student success as “the primary mission of community colleges is to ensure that students succeed in completing college-level programs .. attainment of goals pertaining to stunt persistence and certificate and degree completion.
• The Lowenthal Bill (SB 1456) defines student success as a “focus on the completion of degrees, certificates and transfers.”

It is not practical to define student success as a quantitative measure only.

Chancellor Rita Cepeda said that “while SB 1456 is the law, SJCC’s definition goes further…student success for community college students means more than just obtaining degrees, transfer certificates or career advancement. It also means that achievement of the individual student’s self-established educational goals.”

Cepeda turned the presentation over to Professor Marjorie Clark to further define student success.

Clark asked the question, “What does student success mean to us (SJCC)? We think that measuring student success by transfer rates and degrees is not enough. Community colleges are responsible for developing a competent work force, but we also looked at the whole individual; we thought that self-improvement is a factor in this, how do you become a better person, a worker and a contributor in society.”

Student success is also more than tracking numbers.

“Well rounded individuals should be good thinkers, develop good habits of mind, to figure out problems, and research things. Our students should be able to take an active role in a global environment and global diversity. At the end of the day, a successful student should be able to communicate (write and speak) well, work in teams ( in a global society) with respect for other members of the society,” Clark said.

Lease emphasized that “student success needs to be institutionalized; unless it becomes a part of our everyday, it’s not going to happen. The Board has made (student success) a part of our vision, values and goals”

Cepeda ended the presentation with the admonition:  “Student success is everyone’s responsibility.”