North Seattle Community College
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Abstract
The Institution and Its Students: North Seattle Community College was established in
1967 as part of the three-college Seattle Community College District. The college serves
students from throughout the metropolitan Seattle area, with the majority coming from
the city’s north end. North Seattle awards associate transfer degrees, a wide range of
professional-technical degrees and certificates, and a high school completion certificate.
In 2007-08, the college employed 85 full-time faculty and approximately 200 part-time
faculty to serve over 6,000 credit-seeking students (approximately 3,200 FTE students)
each quarter (excluding summer quarter whose figures are much smaller). The student
body comprises 62% female, 35% students of color, 71% part-time, 58% employed. The
college serves nearly 1,000 ESL (English as a Second Language) students each quarter.
Fifty percent of students taking the English placement exam place into developmental
(belowcollege-level) English; 75% who take the math placement exam place into
developmental math.
The Problem: Too many students leave the college prematurely and too few persist to
achieve well-researched academic momentum points that predict long-term educational
and occupational success. Forty percent of students who intend to study for a year or
more leave after only one quarter never to return. Of degree/certificate-seeking students,
only 30% earn a minimum of 45 credits or an award. While one-third of them express
the desire to do so, only 4% of ESL students progress into college-level coursework.
The Solution: The college proposes an activity—Strengthening Student Engagement for
Persistence and Educational Achievement—comprised of these three components: (1)
increase the number of student learning communities, a cohort-model strategy that
demonstrably improves retention and educational success (I-BEST1, Coordinated
Studies2, Service Learning); (2) increase instructional supports for high risk students (e.g.
supplemental instruction, tutoring, self-paced language lab for ESL students), (3) first
quarter success initiative (first quarter seminar, proactive advising interventions).
This Proposal: Drawing on state and national research conducted by the Washington
State Board for Community and Technical Colleges, North Seattle requests $2.0 million
over five years to (1) decrease from 40% to 25% the number of students who leave after
only one quarter, (2) increase from 30% to 45% the number of degree-seeking students
earning 45 college-level credits or an award, and (3) increase from 4% to 15% the
number of ESL students who progress into college-level coursework. All measures are
over the five-year duration of the grant.
I-BEST – Integrated Basic Education Skills Training. This model integrates ESL/ABE learning with
high-demand college-level professional-technical training.
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Two or more courses and instructors exploring a central theme in a collaborative learning environment
employing the seminar as the primary learning mode in an emotionally and intellectually safe environment
that promotes self-directed learning.
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North Seattle Community College
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Institutional Strengths
o Breadth of services to support student academic success
o Extensive self-knowledge and planning through recently completed (1) three-year
institutional self-study and (2) four-year master planning study
o History of and reputation for strong transfer program
o Models of Service Learning and I-BEST
o New energy, vitality, commitment from a new generation of full- and part-time
faculty
o Stable executive-level leadership
o Statewide community/technical college system supporting the Student Achievement
Initiative that lays the groundwork for our proposal
o Strategic Enrollment Management Initiative begun in Winter 2008
o Strong and renowned Coordinated Studies program (learning communities)
o Strong tutoring services in The Loft Writing Center and the Science/Math Learning
Center
o Teaching and Learning Center supporting professional development trusted and
respected by the faculty
o A transition from the teaching to learning paradigm has begun, although it has not
been completed
o A strong distance learning program and support for faculty teaching DL courses.
o A team of highly qualified advisers (X% with M degrees or above).
o Highly qualified faculty who represent a wide range of ethnic/racial diversity (stast of
faculty degrees and ethnic/racial balance)
o Comprehensive review of our general education requirements and the assessment of
general education outcomes supported by a cross disciplinary faculty and
administrative team since 2007.
Institutional Weaknesses/Challenges
o Beliefs about ESL students that limit their ability to learn and progress
o High numbers of part-time faculty with less connection to/involvement in the college
than is the case for full-time faculty
o High numbers of under-prepared and ESL students
o High percentage of non-traditional students—older, part-time, working, with “stop-in,
stop-out” patterns—whose lack of homogeneity challenges traditional servicedelivery models
o History and culture of “siloed” services that result in duplication of services and/or
piecemeal or disconnected services
o Lack of clearly defined educational and career pathways in many programs
o State funding model for community/technical colleges that does not provide for the
addition support required by under-prepared and ESL students
o Student attrition before achieving educational milestones/goals
o The advising center is understaffed
o More than one-half of the faculty report that they do not have sufficient time to
engage in professional development activities.
Goals/Objectives
North Seattle Community College
This section is under construction as of Jan 18, 2008.
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