tool name

close
tool goes here

New database tracks Columbia Basin College students after they leave the school

Published: Feb. 16, 2013 at 12:00 a.m. PSTUpdated: March 12, 2013 at 8:19 a.m. PDT
0 comments
Columbia Basin College campus in Pasco. (BOB BRAWDY/Tri-City Herald)

Three of four students who earn an associate degree at Columbia Basin College and transfer to a four-year institution get bachelor's degrees within five years.

That's among the findings in a new database that's providing a clearer glimpse into how some students are faring once they've left the Pasco-based community college.

CBC President Rich Cummins and others said it was hard in the past to get good information on the former students once they left their school.

"It's not perfect, but it's better than we've had," Joe Montgomery, dean for institutional effectiveness, told the CBC board this week.

The new data, called the Mutual Research Transcript Exchange, or MRTE+, also shows more than half of CBC graduates eventually enroll in a baccalaureate program, as well as where they attend.

It's managed by the State Board for Career and Technical Colleges in partnership with an independent contractor.

Cummins told the board that the college previously received information from four-year universities about former CBC students but those reports were sporadic and incomplete.

MRTE+ is a more formal collection of information on the college's graduates from in-state institutions.

Some of the data backs up what college administrators already knew, such as the bulk of its graduates end up attending Washington State University Tri-Cities.

But the college never has had so much specific information broken down for other schools in the state, how soon after graduation CBC's students enroll at a university and how many quarters on average it takes for a CBC graduate to earn a bachelor's degree.

Cummins said the new data will allow the college to improve programs to meet student needs but also correct misperceptions of its ability to educate students. The college's graduation rate is close to 29 percent, but other agencies and organizations often report it as almost half that.

"It's so far wrong it's embarrassing," he said. "We're doing a much better job and not getting credit for it."

The new database isn't perfect or exhaustive. Many students who attend CBC transfer before they earn their associate degree and often go on to a university to earn a bachelor's degree, but they aren't counted in the new data. College officials are still culling through the data because it was just made available earlier this year.

Board member Salvador Mendoza Jr. and Vice Chairwoman Sherry Armijo said the new information will make for great advertising for the college and asked administrators for comparisons to other community colleges.

"Anything that can demonstrate our efficacy," Armijo said.

Cummins said that report is coming, though it won't identify the other colleges because of privacy conditions CBC agreed with to access the data.

JOIN THE DISCUSSION | Register here

We welcome comments. Please keep them civil, short and to the point. ALL CAPS, spam, obscene, profane, abusive and off topic comments will be deleted. Repeat offenders will be blocked. Thanks for taking part — and abiding by these simple rules. A thorough explanation of rules of conduct can be found in our Terms of Service. If you have any questions, including why your comment may not be showing immediately after you submit it, be sure to visit the commenting FAQ.

CONTESTS

Similar stories

  • More than 1,300 graduate from Columbia Basin College

    Ruben Zecena told his fellow Columbia Basin College graduates Friday night to go home, eat some chocolate and be proud of who they've become and their accomplishments.

    "To all of the students graduating here today, your work has paid off," said an excited Zecena, Associated Student Body president. "I want to encourage all of you to take the reins. ... If your success is not on your own terms, if it looks good to the world but it is not in your heart, it is not success at all."

    Graduates should tap into their own talents as they move forward and contribute to the world, Zecena said.

  • Tri-Cities could be training hub for nurses in region

    Some call it the "silver tsunami" -- the coming wave of retirements as members of the baby boomer generation turn 65 and presumably exit the work force.

    Along with more time to play golf or visit with grandchildren, getting older comes with aches and ailments. Those boomers who stop working as doctors, nurses or medical assistants will need the services of the health care workers left behind. In other words, more demand and fewer providers.

    Local health care officials say the Tri-Cities could be better positioned than many communities in the nation when that tsunami hits because of the presence of two local nursing schools graduating the next generation of health workers.

  • Many knowledge-based jobs go blue collar

    When you think of jobs that require mastery of science or math, chances are you don't think of auto mechanics or construction. But a new study suggests you should think again.

  • Looking for college credit? Welcome to the buffet

    Danine Adams has taken a few courses at a four-year university, some at a community college and still more online while working all over the country as an investigator for the Federal Bureau of Prisons – career experience that she’s also been able to transform into academic credit.

  • Federal 'College Scorecard' says WWU costs are below average

    CHICAGO — President Barack Obama's administration has unveiled a new online tool aimed at giving prospective college students a better idea of what individual colleges will cost and whether the financial burden will be worth it.

    The "College Scorecard" comes as student debt is at an all-time high, graduates are entering a tough job market, and families are over-whelmed with confusing and sometimes hard-to-find information about costs.

    Obama, during his State of the Union address last week, said families could use the website to figure out "where you can get the most bang for your educational buck," though some experts criticized the data the administration chose to use.