SKYCTC one of only 7 community colleges in nation honored

The nation's community colleges are making great strides to increase completion rates. Seven community colleges were honored for their work toward the student success agenda on April 20 at the American Association of Community Colleges' (AACC) Awards of Excellence Gala, part of AACC's 95th Annual Convention in San Antonio, Texas.

This is the third year AACC has presented the Awards of Excellence.

The Faculty Senate of Southcentral Kentucky Community and Technical College (SKYCTC) was presented the Faculty Innovation Award for their Workplace Ethics Initiative.

When area businesses voiced a concern that new employees did not understand or value a work ethic needed for organizational survival, they responded. The group worked with business partners to create and implement the Workplace Ethics Agreement. It requires that behaviors in every classroom mirror those expected in the workplace. Since it was implemented in 2011, the college-wide GPA has increased each year, and retention and persistence rates are up. SKYCTC's president is Dr. Phillip Neal.

SKYCTC was chosen for the award out of 1,200 colleges represented with membership in the American Association of Community Colleges.

Winners were selected by a committee of the AACC Board of Directors. Twenty-one finalist colleges also were recognized at the Awards of Excellence Gala.

The seven awards of excellence presented by AACC were in the categories of:

Faculty Innovation category – Southcentral Kentucky Community and Technical College (Kentucky)

Emerging Leadership category -  Montgomery College (Maryland)

Outstanding College/Corporate Partnership category - Bunker Hill Community College (Massachusetts)

Advancing Diversity category - Moraine Valley Community College (MVCC) in Illinois

Student Success category - Lee College (Texas)

Exemplary Board/CEO category - Eastern Gateway Community College (Ohio)

New Community College Safety Planning and Leadership category, Brookhaven College (Texas)

As the voice of the nation's community colleges, the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) delivers educational and economic opportunity for 13 million diverse students in search of the American Dream. Uniquely dedicated to access and success for all students, AACC's nearly 1,200 member colleges provide an on-ramp to degree attainment, skilled careers and family-supporting wages. Located in Washington, D.C., AACC advocates for these not-for-profit, public-serving institutions to ensure they have the resources and support they need to deliver on the mission of increasing economic mobility for all. 

Shown in the photo, from left: Dr. Gerald Napoles, Senior Vice President of Student and Organizational Success; Jennifer Shoemake, Associate Professor/ Nursing and Faculty Senate President; Dr. Maggie Shelton, Provost; and Dr. Phillip Neal, College President of SKYCTC. They accepted the Innovation Award of Excellence from the American Association of Community Colleges on behalf of the College.