SCC earned this distinction based on its achievement in meeting performance measure standards utilized by the North Carolina General Assembly to assess state community colleges. This is the second consecutive year Southwestern earned the superior college rating.

Southwestern exceeded the state average in several areas. One of those was in the performance of college transfer students.

“We have a vigorous college transfer program and this system evaluation just goes to show how successful we are statewide,” said SCC President Cecil Groves. “Almost 90 percent of our college transfer graduates maintain a 2.0 or better after two semesters at institutions in the University of North Carolina System.” This compares to 86 percent for native sophomores and juniors at UNC-System universities.

“So the numbers show right there in black and white what we’ve known for a long time,” Groves said. “Students who earned an associate’s degree from SCC and transferred to a state university out-perform that institution’s native students.”

Additionally, 100 percent of Southwestern’s certificate, diploma and degree graduates indicated they met their goals in attending SCC.

“We also achieved a 100 percent satisfaction rating from our business and industry clients who received customized training from the college,” said Groves. “Now you don’t get much better than 100 percent.”

Groves said the comprehensive report validates SCC’s dedication to serving the diverse segments in its community.

To learn more about performance measure results, as reported in the 2007 Critical Success Factors report, visit http://www.ncccs.cc.nc.us/Publications/docs/Publications/csf2007.pdf

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