Alpena Community College President Don MacMaster

The question I hear most frequently in the community is, “How are things going at the college?” Three recent distillations of institutional data allow me to reply, “Pretty darn well.”

In January, federal IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) statistics documented that Alpena Community College attained the highest graduation rate among the 28 Michigan community and three tribal colleges by a substantial margin — the fourth consecutive year ACC has finished first in graduation rate according to IPEDS data.

In June, the Carnegie Institute, a highly-regarded nonprofit focused on researching postsecondary educational performance and student success outcomes, named ACC an Opportunity College for its Higher Access Higher Earnings student outcomes — one of only two Michigan community colleges to receive this distinction. Higher Access, according to the Carnegie study, refers to affordability while Higher Earnings references what graduates earn after they enter the workforce. Only 9.5 percent of post-secondary educational nationally were named Opportunity Colleges by Carnegie. ACC was one of them.

Then in July, a state higher education database known as CEPI (Center for Educational Performance and Information) analyzed longitudinal institutional data over six years that incorporates both graduation rate and transfer success. The information below shows ACC’s performance in these metrics compared to the 28 community colleges and three two-year tribal colleges in Michigan.

ACC compared to average of 31 Michigan community colleges

~ Year 2: Community College Average — 26.1; ACC — 47.1

~ Year 3: Community College Average — 36.6; ACC — 47.5

~ Year 4: Community College Average — 45.5; ACC — 53.4

~ Year 5: Community College Average — 44.3; ACC — 53.7

~ Year 6: Community College Average — 47.9; ACC — 62.4

In Year 2, ACC was ranked No. 1 versus Group 1 (10 small rural colleges). In Year 3, ACC was ranked No. 2, in Year 4, ACC was ranked No. 1, in Year 5, ACC was ranked No. 2, and in Year 6, ACC was ranked No. 1 in that same comparison cohort of 10 small rural colleges.

When compared to all 31 Michigan community colleges, ACC was ranked No. 1 in Year 2, No. 2 in Year 3, No. 4 in Year 4, No. 4 in Year 5, and No. 1 in Year 6.

Data tells an important story, especially when aggregated by informed and objective sources. These three reports document that students who attend ACC graduate at a high rate. If they enter the workforce directly from ACC, they tend to get jobs related to their field of study that pay well. If they come to ACC to get the first two years and then transfer, they do so successfully, generally with lower debt and higher GPAs than students who begin at a four-college or university.

The return on investment in time and money makes ACC a smart choice for everyone beginning their higher educational journey. I personally want to thank all the instructors, support staff, administrators, Foundation Board members, ACC Board of Trustees, and K-12 partners for their shared commitment to student success at ACC. Let’s keep it going. We all benefit when the answer to how are things going is pretty darn well.

Dr. Don MacMaster is president of Alpena Community College. Reach him at 989-358-7246 or at macmastd@alpenacc.edu. To learn more about MacMaster and ACC, visit the ACC website at discover.alpenacc.edu.