Atlantic Cape Community College has been recertified as a Leader College by Achieving the Dream, a national nonprofit dedicated to advancing community colleges as hubs of equity and mobility in their communities, for its efforts to ensure all students succeed.
“It is truly an honor to be named as a Leader College again by Achieving the Dream, recognizing the commitment Atlantic Cape has made to closing equity gaps in our community and driving student achievement,” Atlantic Cape President Barbara Gaba said. “This designation is a symbol of ongoing efforts by the college to be a responsive, compassionate and inclusive part of the regional community.”
Achieving the Dream has been working with colleges across the country to redesign the student experience at colleges, with the ultimate goal of increasing credential attainment and closing equity gaps.
Leader Colleges are recognized for the quality of their work in whole-college reform, resulting in increased completion rates for all students. They also develop innovative ways to work with other colleges to share knowledge and facilitate an exchange of ideas about evidence-based reform strategies.
“Community colleges are uniquely positioned to serve as equitable hubs of social mobility and equitable transformation in the areas that they serve,” Achieving the Dream CEO Karen A. Stout said.
Through its programming and services, Atlantic Cape has eliminated the equity gap in college-level English completion between Hispanic and white students during those years. At the same it, it has increased the enrollment of Hispanic students to 25 percent as of 2021, earning the college a designation of Hispanic Serving Institution by the U.S. Department of Education.
In addition, the four-year degree completion rate between white and Hispanic students has narrowed from 15 percentage points to one percentage point between 2017 and 2020.
Atlantic Cape is part of the ATD Network, made up of more than 300 colleges committed to advancing equity and supporting student success at their institutions and throughout their communities including eight of New Jersey’s community colleges. Atlantic Cape has been a member of the ATD Network since 2012 and has been a Leader College from 2016 through 2019 and from 2021 to present.
