Columbia Basin College Named Bellwether Finalist (Photo) -11/21/23
For Immediate Release
Contact: Elizabeth Burtner, cell 509-975-6882, eburtner@columbiabasin.edu
Columbia Basin College Named Bellwether Finalist
Pasco, WA, November 21, 2023 - Columbia Basin College (CBC) is proud to announce that we have been named as a Bellwether Finalist and will compete for the 2024 Bellwether Award at the 30th Annual Community College Futures Assembly (CCFA). The CCFA will be in San Antonio in February 2024.
CBC is a Bellwether Finalist in the Instructional Programs and Services Category. This category recognizes programs and services that foster or support teaching and learning. CBC is one of 10 finalists in this category. “We are honored to be recognized for the hard work of our math faculty, support staff, and other departments that collaborated to make this possible,” says Rod Taylor, Dean for Math, Science, and Engineering.
CBC successfully revamped the developmental math sequence, placement procedures, and introduced intrusive advising, leading to substantial improvements in students successfully completing college level math. As a Hispanic-serving institution, our primary focus was on closing the equity gap between our Hispanic and non-Hispanic student populations. In 2019, the overall success rate of students completing college-level math in the first year stood at 17.0%, with Hispanic students achieving a 12.9% success rate and non-Hispanic students reaching 20.5%. By 2023, our success rate had risen to 31.5%, with Hispanic students achieving a 29.6% success rate (a 129% increase since 2019). Non-Hispanic students also improved, reaching a 34.1% success rate, and the gap between the two groups had significantly narrowed.
While we are humbled by the recognition, “the positive impact through closing the equity gap in math for our Hispanic students is the real winner. CBC is here to transform student’s lives, efforts like this are the foundation of that work”, says Dr. Michael Lee, Vice President for Instruction.
To learn more about CBC’s School of Math, Science, and Engineering visit https://www.columbiabasin.edu/learn/discover-your-path/math-science-engineering/.
To learn more about the Bellwether Consortium visit www.bellwethercollegeconsortium.com, or email rmartinez1702@alamo.edu.
# # #
Columbia Basin College (CBC) is a public community college serving the Tri-Cities and surrounding communities since 1955. CBC’s mission is to inspire, educate, and support all students in an environment of academic excellence leading to the completion of degrees, certifications, and educational transfers, while fostering meaningful employment, engaged citizenship, and a life-long joy of learning. CBC offers both two and four-year degrees and one-year Certificates. Bachelor of Applied Science degrees are offered in Applied Management, Applied Management in Agriculture or Healthcare Administration, Cyber Security, Dental Hygiene, Information Technology, Health Physics, Teacher Education and Project Management. CBC also offers a Bachelor of Science in Nursing.
