- Tallahassee Community College set a new TCC record by graduating 42 percent of students who started in 2020.
- That's 15 percent higher than the national two-year college average of 27 percent.
- Watch now to see how it accomplished the feat and how it plans to maintain the high number.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
College is all about getting that diploma.
And graduation rates are on the rise at Tallahassee Community College.
A record number of 42 percent.
I'm Alberto Camargo in College Town.
I'm finding out how TCC made the record happen, but more importantly, how it plans to keep the momentum rolling.
That 42 percent is 15 percent higher than the national average graduation rate of two-year colleges.
And the highest of all time for TCC.
It's one thing to make it to the top, but another thing to stay there.
I asked TCC President Jim Murdaugh, "How does TCC maintain this number going forward, and perhaps even improve it?"
"There's no one silver bullet. This is not coincidence, it's not accidental. This a result of very intentional initiatives," Murdaugh said.
Initiatives like the ones I told you about last week.
The Aspire and Ignite transfer programs to Florida State and Florida A&M, respectively.
And academic programs that focus on minority students like Black Male Achievers, the Hispanic Alliance for Talented Students and Sister to Sister.
A study at Harford Community College in Maryland found that students who were engaged in clubs or student organizations were over 50 percent more likely to stay in school.
Murdaugh says that's an deliberate strategy at TCC.
"We have so many things that when you add them together and focus on students -- we want to make it hard for students to fail."
And it shows in TCC's grad numbers by year. From 2016 to 2019, not much improvement, if at all.
Then, a five percent jump for 2020 from 37 percent to 42 percent of students graduating.
"Honestly, TCC has been saving me time. So I feel great."
Speaking of students, I spoke with Grace Duvet.
She's graduating in May.
Grace is involved in Sister to Sister, the Aspire program and TCC speech and debate.
She says getting involved is what fuels her.
"The organizations that I'm a part of push me because they make me want to manage my time and do my work on time."
Even with the record success, Murdaugh says there is always room for improvement.
"The thing that this says to students is that this is a great place to come. That your investment in this college is going to result in your success."
The U.S. Department of Education also ranks TCC as the community college with highest transfer-out rates for students in the state of Florida.
In College Town, Alberto Camargo, ABC27.
