Laurel Ridge continues to lead VCCS pack in student success measures

Class of 2024_Graduation
Shoaib Zamani at his 2024 graduation.

MIDDLETOWN, Nov. 4 — Laurel Ridge Community College faculty and staff are doing great things and have the stats – and the extra dollars – to prove it!

For four straight years, the college has been No. 1 among the 23 institutions that make up the Virginia Community College System when it comes to student success data points measured by the state system’s outcome-based funding model.

These measures include entry performance metrics, such as the number of developmental and college-ready math and English students who successfully complete college-level courses in the subjects in a certain timeframe; retention performance metrics; progression performance metrics, such as the number of fall, first-time-in-college students earning 12 credits with a 2.0 GPA or higher by the end of the spring semester, as well as those earning 24 credits; the number of students earning degrees or certificates within the academic year; and transfer performance metrics, including those earning a bachelor’s degree within six years of enrolling at the college.

For its top-ranked performance, for fiscal 2025, Laurel Ridge received about $549,000 in funding above what it would have received from the enrollment-based funding model, said Cory Thompson, vice president of financial and administrative services. That additional funding has been allocated across the college’s educational and general operating budgets to support various needs, he said.

These top-ranked performances are a “testament to what is happening in the classrooms and student services and wraparound services,” according to Dr. Wood.

“We have just exceptional faculty who care about making sure students are learning and are successful,” she said. “We know that these faculty relationships are critical.”

Student Services employees have also played a vital role in this success.

“Everything we do and everything we strive to do in Student Services is about the whole student,” Dr. Wood said. “We help students find their path. We have set up Student Services to prioritize student success.”

Academic advising has been done via a case-management model for about seven or eight years now. This means students are paired with an adviser who they will have for the entire time they’re at Laurel Ridge. The adviser works with the student to set up an academic plan.

“It’s from the top of the funnel – outreach and marketing – all the way through to completion and graduation; all of our student services are set up to take care of the student,” Dr. Wood said. “We assign a care team to every single student. We really believe that makes a huge difference for them.”

Decisions aren’t made in a vacuum in order to prevent negative impacts on students and faculty.

“The Financial Aid Office understands what advising is doing, advising understands what’s happening in SDV and understands what’s happening with the library, tutoring and Trio,” said Dr. Wood. “We always do warm hand-offs. We make an effort as academic advisers to align students with the certificate and the degree pathways so they’re getting the most credentials they can out of their experience with us.”

For more information on Laurel Ridge Community College,

visit https://laurelridge.edu/

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