Sinclair Community College has won the 2023 Leah Meyer Austin award which is the highest award that a college in the Achieving the Dream (ATD) Network can earn. This annual award is given in recognition of a college’s exceptional results in reducing equity gaps between student groups, for fostering a student-focused culture, and for increasing student success. This award is essentially the highest award a community college can receive in the nation!
“This honor reflects years of effort to maximize equity and student success,” said Dr. Steven L. Johnson, Sinclair’s president, and CEO of 20 years. “From comprehensive high-level policy reviews to individual student-advisor conversations, Sinclair has demonstrated its commitment to ensuring that all students achieve their goals.”
As shown in the graph, over a four-year period Sinclair has steadily increased four-year completion, which means students have earned their degree in four years or under. Last year 2,411 minority students, 1,970 African American students, and 3,125 women students graduated from Sinclair. What is most impressive is that Sinclair has been able to maintain this steady growth through the disruption of the pandemic. Sinclair sincerely aspires to help people of all ethnicities and all classes reach their academic goals and these results testify to their consistent effort.
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“This award’s rigorous requirements are meant to motivate and recognize the whole college transformation that results in greater student success and equity,” says Dr. Karen A. Stout, president and CEO of Achieving the Dream. “Sinclair’s story is one of deep commitment to student success goals at all levels—Board of Trustees, the president, faculty and staff, and administrative leaders. This ‘all in’ on student success approach and their long view on change knowing that their unwavering focus on student success mattered offers the field an important lesson on persistence and patience.”
Since 1887, Sinclair’s journey to becoming what it is today has taken place over 136 years of growth and expansion. Like any institution, there have certainly been trials along the way that have pushed them to grow and evolve. Sinclair’s story is still evolving today and every student at Sinclair is adding in to make Sinclair a better, stronger, and safer place for people of all demographics to become students and pursue and achieve their dreams of success.
“We have learned there is no one-size-fits-all for our diverse population, so we have worked to customize services and education for all of our students,” says Kathleen Cleary, PhD, senior vice president of workforce solutions.
Heaven Diastello
Staff writer