VGCC ranked among top N.C. Community Colleges in annual report card


Vance-Granville Community College passed all of the state’s performance measures with flying colors during the 2010-2011 academic year, according to this year’s Critical Success Factors report, which was recently released by the N.C. Community College System office. VGCC’s scores met or exceeded all of the state standards in the report. Dr. Stelfanie Williams, the President of VGCC, summarized the report’s findings at the July 16 meeting of the college’s Board of Trustees.

Of the 58 N.C. community colleges, 27 met or exceeded the system standards on all seven performance measures. VGCC was among 16 of those colleges receiving recognition for “Exceptional Institutional Performance.” That rating indicated that VGCC met additional high standards for students’ passing rates on licensure exams and on the performance of VGCC students after they transferred into the UNC System. On their first attempt, 89% of VGCC students passed one of the various examinations required for North Carolina licensure or certification prior to practicing their profession. These included Basic Law Enforcement Training, Cosmetology, Radiography, Practical Nursing, Registered Nursing, Emergency Medical Technician and EMT-Paramedic exams. Meanwhile, 95% of VGCC College Transfer students had a grade-point average of 2.0 or higher at a UNC institution after two semesters at the university.

“This report confirms that Vance-Granville is among the outstanding community colleges in the state when it comes to producing graduates who will be successful, either in their careers or as students at four-year universities,” President Williams said. “Our excellent faculty, staff and students are to be commended for their successes.”

For more than 20 years, the annual Critical Success Factors report has been the N.C. Community College System’s method of tracking the performance of the state’s community colleges, as mandated by the North Carolina General Assembly. Over time, the assessment has evolved into eight core accountability standards: progress of basic skills students; passing rates on licensure and certification examinations; performance of college transfer students; passing rates of students in developmental courses; success rates of developmental students in subsequent college-level courses; satisfaction of program completers and non-completers; curriculum student retention; and client satisfaction with customized training. The 2012 report only includes seven performance measures, as the General Assembly authorized the removal of the measure on the progress of basic skills students for one year as data collection improvements are implemented.

Among other highlights of the report were data showing that 98% of VGCC students said they were satisfied with their education. Meanwhile, 96% of area businesses responding to a survey reported that they were satisfied with VGCC’s customized training and Small Business Center services. The college had 91% of its students passing developmental courses, which was well above the rate for the state system as a whole (80%). The entire Critical Success Factors Report is available on the System Office web site (www.nccommunitycolleges.edu) under “Publications.”