Defining “Student Success”
Bruce Gilman, chairman of the Student Success Committee, revealed a list of six proposals which would put Saddleback on track to reaching the many academic improvements specified in the Seymour-Campbell Student Success Act during last week’s Academic Senate meeting.
The Student Success Committee, formed in October of 2012, aims to localize and focus the suggested changes from the Seymour-Campbell Student Success Act to best fit Saddleback.
State Senate Bill 1456, approved by Governor Brown in September of 2012, allowed for the creation of the Seymour-Campbell Student Success Act, which “targets state resources on core matriculation services that research has shown to be critical in increasing the ability of students to reach their academic and career goals.” (Seymour-Campbell Sec. 5. 78211.5).
During his presentation,Gilman defined student success as sanctioned by the Student Success Committee– “At Saddleback, successful students define, pursue, and achieve their educational goals. A collaborative effort between all individuals in the college community actively engages students, helping them realize their personal and academic aspirations.”
The remainder of the recommendations in Gilman’s presentation included creating an online “Student Success Center” as well as an on-campus facility, restructuring the teaching model on a district-wide scale to better fit modern learning methods, and establishing an Academic Executive Committee to spearhead these initiatives at the college.