EDUCATION: A college program at the Riverside City College is providing incoming freshmen with a two-year guarantee.
By Aysouda Malekzadeh, News Editor
Through Completion Counts, Riverside City College is offering a two-year completion guarantee to 373 freshmen who recently graduated from high schools in Riverside and Alvord Unified School Districts. Completion Counts, directed by Cindy Taylor, is a partnership by the city of Riverside, Riverside City College, Riverside and Alvord Unified School Districts, Riverside County Office of Education and the Greater Riverside Chambers of Commerce.
The organization is working to raise college graduation rates. Taylor informed the district boards that the program is needed because “if we don’t get more kids graduating, we’re going to see more jobs pass us by as a community.”
The number of graduates is expected to grow in upcoming years as the program becomes more widely known. Under the terms of the two-year guarantee, select members of the class of 2012 graduating from Riverside’s public high schools will receive priority registration to all the classes they need for an associate degree or for a transfer. This early registration for courses is not valid to Moreno Valley or Norco colleges.
In addition, the freshmen will be given access to English and math courses starting from their first term until requirements are met, access to 15.0 units each term based on their Student Education Plan, a two-year Student Education Plan created with an RCC counselor and follow-up student services each term. Only graduates who signed a contract with RCC, passed placement tests in English and math and met other deadlines were eligible. Also, under these conditions, students cannot drop any classes.
The program is funded by a three-year grant from the Gates Foundation, which is run by Bill and Melinda Gates. The city 0f Riverside, the Chamber of Commerce, two school districts and other partners applied for the grant, which was awarded to only four cities in the nation. Although the three-million-dollar grant, which helped form the framework for the program, is entering its final year, Chancellor Gregory Gray assures students that the work begun through the program will continue.
Completion Counts hopes to raise the two-year college graduation rate to 42 percent by 2020. This graduation rate includes career-technical certification, associate degrees and university transfers.