OCCC’s goal to raise state grad numbers

By Carrie Cronk, Editor (editor@occc.edu)

Oklahoma is ranked just 42 among the 50 states for the percentage of residents who possess a college degree, according to the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education.

OCCC will work to help increase the number of college graduates in this state over the next 10 years.

To achieve this, the college has implemented a long-range plan, “The Way Forward and Why it Matters.”

“The plan provides a vision of what we hope to become in the future,” OCCC President Paul Sechrist said.

Part of that vision is for OCCC to become “a college of ... greater significance,” based on the success of the students and graduates, and also on the college’s role in the community, he said.

“Students who are successful in completing a degree earn more money (and are) more likely to obtain jobs that offer health insurance and a retirement plan,” Sechrist said.

“The plan provides a framework to encourage more students to attend college (and) provides support services to keep students enrolled and graduate.”

Outlined in the plan are 10 initiatives, which will add new services and expand current services to students. The goal is to assist students to learn skills to help them succeed, both in college and in their careers.

Sechrist said these initiatives include more childcare for students with children, upgrading existing facilities and technology and the addition of new buildings.

According to the plan, the Achieving the Dream initiative “addresses the preparation and success of students early in their college experience.”

Many new students have experienced one aspect of this initiative with the new “Success in College and Life” course.

Sechrist said, “There are many initiatives, programs and projects that are in place or have been started that support the plan.”

These include an increased emphasis on learning communities and tutoring, as well as upgrading the college’s information technology infrastructure, he said.

Other initiatives in the plan call for the creation of new centers, buildings and institutes and also remodeling and renovating existing areas.

The OCCC Institute for Global Excellence Initiative will establish the Center for International Business, the Center for World Languages and Culture, and the Center for International Alliances.

The plan reads, “This new institute will serve to better prepare our students and community to participate in the globally interconnected economy and society.”

In addition to the new centers, the Childcare for Students initiative would require the construction of a new childcare facility and would provide low cost childcare for students.

The college plans to build other buildings as well over the period during which the plan is in place.

“At some point we hope to build a 1,000-seat theater, new buildings for the divisions of Business and Social Sciences, and (implement) changes in classrooms to reflect the changes in instructional technology and offer a learning environment that engages students outside the classroom,” Sechrist said.

For more information on “The Way Forward and Why it Matters”, read a copy of the plan.

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