Transfer rates: GCC beats state average

About 57% of Glendale Community College students transferred to four-year universities or earned degrees or certificates in 2011-12, beating the state average, according to data released this week.

Across the state, 49.2% of students who enrolled in 2006 accomplished the same goals after six years, according to the California Community College’s Chancellor’s Office.

The data comes from Student Success Scorecard results released this week. The new scorecard tracks success by gender, age and race across all 112 community college campuses.

The overall completion rates of Glendale students haven’t differed much during recent years. In 2006, 57% of Glendale students also earned degrees or transferred to four-year schools.

However, the overall completion rate at Glendale Community College was higher — at 59.1% — for students who enrolled in 2002.

Glendale Community College Trustee Armine Hacopian said she wanted to see results that are higher still.

“We are doing well. I would like to see us do better,” she said, adding that members of the board of trustees have made it their goal to improve transfer rates among students.

“One of our biggest challenges is to hire the best people that we can,” she said. “Our faculty and staff are trying very hard.”

Edward Karpp, dean of research, planning and grants for the college, noted that the school reached higher overall rankings of students who attain degrees or transfer than all nine colleges in the Los Angeles Community College District and several more in the region, such as Pasadena City College and Santa Monica College.

The overall completion rate ranged widely in the Los Angeles Community College District, from about 35% at downtown’s Los Angeles Trade-Tech to 52.5% at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, the L.A. Times reported.

“In our local region, we’re the top college,” Karpp said.

The rate of Glendale students who completed degrees or transferred, but who needed remedial math or English, or both, was 42.1% compared to 41.1% statewide.

By comparison, 77.6% of students entered Glendale Community College prepared to do college-level work in math or English and earned degrees or transferred.

Statewide, 71.2% of students did the same.

The results have come despite unprecedented budget cuts, and Glendale Community College is still $3.8 million short of its projected budget, Hacopian said.

Trustee Vahe Peroomian said he was pleased with the results and grateful for educators who have sought other revenue sources, such as grants.

“The faculty and administration is not just living within our means,” he said. “We’re going out and finding funding sources to help students succeed at the college.”

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Follow Kelly Corrigan on Twitter: @kellymcorrigan.