Housatonic Earns Coveted ‘Dream College’ Designation

BRIDGEPORT (November 2, 2017) — Housatonic Community College (HCC) has been named one of eight “Dream Leader” colleges nationwide by the Achieving the Dream (ATD) network. ATD is a consortium of 220 community colleges that provides advisory resources to some four million community college students nationwide.

Housatonic is one of just two colleges in the Northeast and the only New England institution to achieve the award, which was announced by the Silver Spring, Md.-based ATD on November 1.

Leader College designation is conferred on a select group of institutions that have demonstrated three consecutive years of measurable improvement in outcomes that measure student success. Measured outcomes include graduation rates, increased enrollment in and completion of gateway mathematics curricula, and increased proficiency outcomes in reading and writing.

 “Achieving Leader College designation from the ATD network is a testament to the impressive academic outcomes achieved by our students over the past three years,” said Housatonic Community College President Dr. Paul Broadie II. “Housatonic’s three-year journey toward this key milestone has been a demanding but rewarding experience for everyone involved -- above all the students whose academic achievements are so deserving of recognition.”

 Housatonic students were recognized for improved academic performance with increased completion rates and persistence, specifically in Math and English, and an steady increase in student retention.  Campus initiatives through the Center for Academic Progress (CAP) and Family Economic Security Program (FESP).

 Institutions achieving the Leader College designation become eligible to compete for grant-funded learning initiatives and are encouraged to provide leadership and support to other colleges in the ATD Network, disseminate lessons learned, support state and national efforts to advance the student success agenda and continue advancements to improve student outcomes.

 In addition to Housatonic, the institutions earning the “Dream Leader” designation are: Athens (Ga.) Technical College; Big Bend Community College of Moses Lake, Wash.; Community College of Allegheny County (Pa.); Edmonds Community College in Lynnwood, Wash.; Stanly Community College of Albemarle, N.C.; Wallace State Community College of Hanceville, Ala.; and West Georgia Technical College in Waco, Ga.

ATD leads a growing network of more than 220 community colleges committed to making progress closing academic achievement gaps and accelerating student success through a unique change process that builds each college's institutional capacities in seven essential areas. Achieving the Dream grants Leader College designation for three-year cycles. After three years, institutions must undergo a recertification process to maintain Leader College status.

Housatonic Community College was also recently nominated for the Aspen Institute's Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence for the first time, placing it among the top 150 community colleges in the nation.