Pasadena City College ranks as the number one community college in the state for awarding associate’s degrees, according to a recent report.
In a Community College Week analysis of data collected by the U.S. Department of Education, PCC ranks at the top of 113 state community colleges and 22nd in the nation in the number of associate’s degrees awarded.
PCC awarded 2,589 associate’s degrees in 2013-2014, a 57 percent increase from the 1,646 degrees awarded in 2012-2013.
“I think that it shows the commitment of our faculty to ensuring that students are successful and learning the things they need to learn in their classes,” said Kathy Scott, associate dean of academic affairs.
In addition, PCC ranks first in the state and 7th in the nation in awarding associate’s degrees to minorities.
Cynthia Olivo, associate vice president of student services, said that the significant increase in both the number of degrees awarded and the number awarded to minorities speaks to the mission of the college.
“I think because we are working in a really concerted effort to help students navigate course requirements and providing them support—that’s why our data is better than in the past,” said Olivo.
Olivo believes that the implementation of associate’s degrees for transfer and first-year programs like Pathways, which helps incoming freshman transition from high school to college, have also contributed to this significant increase in associate’s degrees awarded.
Community College Week is a bi-weekly publication that analyzes data relating to 2-year academic institutions, employment opportunities and issues of importance to community colleges faculty and staff.
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