Southern Union State Community College (SUSCC), a member of the Alabama Community College System, identifies and evaluates goals and outcomes for student achievement with respect to its mission and strategic goals and publishes its goals and outcomes.
The College documents student achievement for all students using a variety of measures, regardless of the mode of instructional delivery or the location of instruction. Southern Union has identified the following indicators to document student achievement: 1) Retention Rates, 2) Transfer Rates, 3) Total Six-Year Completion Rates, 4) Number of Degrees and Certificates Awarded, 5) Course Success, and 6) Job Placement. Each of the College’s measures of student achievement align directly to one or more components of the institution’s mission and strategic plan. These measures were approved and adopted by the College’s Executive Council. These indicators are monitored annually with adjustments made as needed.
In response to SACSCOC’s August 15, 2018, request to member institutions to identify a self- selected undergraduate student completion metric, SUSCC selected The National Student Clearinghouse (NSC) Total 6-year Completion Rate to use as it’s metric. This metric also serves as one of the College’s six indicators used to document student achievement.
Mission Statement
Southern Union State Community College, an open admission, public two-year college and member of the Alabama Community College System, provides quality and relevant teaching and learning in academic, technical, and health sciences programs that are affordable, accessible, equitable, and responsive to the diverse needs of its students, community, business, industry, and government.
Strategic Goals
Southern Union’s 2021-2024 Strategic Plan is an extension of the SUSCC mission. The College’s student achievement indicators and outcomes naturally emerge from the Strategic Goals found in this strategic plan.
Strategic Goal 1
Southern Union State Community College will increase attainment of student goals and meet relevant community needs by expanding innovative facilities and state-of-the-art technologies that will provide an overall quality experience in customer service, student engagement, and instructional services, establishing SUSCC as the best choice to meet the diverse needs of all stakeholders.
Strategic Goal 2
Southern Union State Community College will offer attainable, stackable degree pathways, including concurrent enrollment programs, designed to provide a qualified workforce to meet local and regional needs enabling students to achieve their academic and career goals. The College will work to ensure that these pathways are accessible, relevant, and responsive educational programs that meet the needs of all stakeholders.
Strategic Goal 3
Southern Union State Community College will promote educational equity by offering student support services based on evidence-based educational practices, which are designed to increase enrollment, retention, completion, and graduation rates.
Strategic Goal 4
Southern Union State Community College will establish, maintain, and expand relationships with communities, business and industry, and economic and workforce development stakeholders and will work collaboratively with those entities to respond to the changing needs of the students and the region.
Student Achievement Indicator |
Alignment to our Mission |
Alignment to our Strategic Goals |
|
Retention Rates |
Designed to increase enrollment, retention, completion, and graduation rates |
Goal 3 |
|
Transfer Rates |
Designed to increase enrollment, retention, completion, and graduation rates |
Goal 3 |
|
Total Six-Year Completion Rates |
Designed to increase enrollment, retention, completion, and graduation rates |
Goal 3 |
|
Number of Degrees and Certificates |
Designed to increase enrollment, retention, completion, and graduation rates |
Goal 3 |
|
Course Success |
Designed to increase enrollment, retention, completion, and graduation rates |
Goal 3 |
|
Job Placement |
Provide a qualified workforce to meet local |
Goal 2 |
Thresholds of Acceptability and Achievement Goals
To establish thresholds of acceptability and achievement goals, Southern Union examines outcomes over a four-year period. SUSCC uses a variety of formative and summative measures from local, state, regional, and national data as thresholds of acceptability for student achievement. These benchmarks include annual data published from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), the National Student Clearinghouse, and the Alabama Community College System’s Data Access & Exchange (DAX) system. College personnel, including but not limited to, faculty, division chairpersons, and members of the Executive Council and Institutional Effectiveness Committee determine a target threshold of acceptability for each measure. Achievement goals are determined using the average rate of change over the four-year period along with the previous years’ outcome {Achievement Goal = Previous years’ rate + [(Maximum rate – Minimum rate) / (Number of years -1)]}. Previous performance, thresholds of acceptability, and achievement goals are identified in the tables located in the following sections.
Southern Union measures the fall-to-fall retention rates of both first-time, full-time students and first-time, part-time students who are degree/certificate seeking students enrolling at the College during fall semester. The College uses the IPEDS retention rate median score for all two-year community colleges within the Alabama Community College System (ACCS) as the threshold of acceptability for retention rates.
Fall-to-Fall Retention Rates
First-time, Full-Time Degree/Certificate Seeking Students
Cohort |
SUSCC Outcomes |
ACCS Group Median |
Differential |
Threshold Met? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
FA16-FA17 |
62% |
59% |
+3% |
Yes |
|
FA17-FA18 |
64% |
57% |
+7% |
Yes |
|
FA18-FA19 |
64% |
60% |
+4% |
Yes |
|
FA18-FA19 |
60% |
59% |
+1% |
Yes |
Achievement Goal for Fall 20-Fall 21 is 61%
*Source: 2018-2021 IPEDS Data Feedback Reports
Fall-to-Fall Retention Rates
First-time, Part-Time Degree/Certificate Seeking Students
Cohort |
SUSCC Outcomes |
ACCS Group Median |
Differential |
Threshold Met? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
FA16-FA17 |
45% |
40% |
+5% |
Yes |
|
FA17-FA18 |
44% |
40% |
+4% |
Yes |
|
FA18-FA19 |
50% |
43% |
+7% |
Yes |
|
FA19-FA20 |
38% |
37% |
+1% |
Yes |
Achievement Goal for Fall 20-Fall 21 is 42%
*Source: 2018-2021 IPEDS Data Feedback Reports
Fall-to-Fall Retention Rates by Race
First-time, Full-Time Degree/Certificate Seeking Students
Cohort |
African
|
American
|
Asian |
Multi
|
Pacific
|
Unknown |
White |
Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
FA16-FA17 |
49% |
100% |
53% |
63% |
NA |
62% |
66% |
62% |
|
FA17-FA18 |
51% |
0% |
90% |
61% |
100% |
83% |
68% |
64% |
|
FA18-FA19 |
55% |
100% |
64% |
65% |
NA |
82% |
66% |
64% |
|
FA19-FA20 |
50% |
100% |
77% |
44% |
NA |
50% |
64% |
60% |
*Source: Source: dax.accs.edu DAXAWARD-006L Fall-to-Fall Retention for Full-time and Part-time Students by Race
Fall-to-Fall Retention Rates by Race
First-time, Part-Time Degree/Certificate Seeking Students
Cohort |
African
|
American
|
Asian |
Multi
|
Pacific
|
Unknown |
White |
Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
FA16-FA17 |
31% |
100% |
50% |
NA |
100% |
0% |
49% |
45% |
|
FA17-FA18 |
19% |
NA |
50% |
100% |
NA |
17% |
55% |
44% |
|
FA18-FA19 |
34% |
0% |
100% |
100% |
NA |
33% |
54% |
50% |
|
FA19-FA20 |
21% |
0% |
60% |
33% |
NA |
25% |
45% |
38% |
*Source: Source: dax.accs.edu DAXAWARD-006L Fall-to-Fall Retention for Full-time and Part-time Students by Race
Southern Union measures the transfer rates of first-time, full-time degree/certificate seeking students within 150% of normal time to program completion (normal time = two years; 150% = three years). The College uses the IPEDS transfer rate median score for all two-year community colleges within the Alabama Community College System (ACCS) as the threshold of acceptability for transfer rates.
Transfer Rates
First-time, Full-Time Degree/Certificate Seeking Students within 150% of Normal Time
Cohort |
SUSCC Outcomes |
ACCS Group Median |
Differential |
Threshold Met? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Fall 14 |
19% |
20% |
-1% |
No |
|
Fall 15 |
20% |
16% |
+4% |
Yes |
|
Fall 16 |
43% |
17% |
+26% |
Yes |
|
Fall 2017 |
46% |
19% |
+27% |
Yes |
Achievement Goal for Fall 2018 is 55%
*Source: 2018-2021 IPEDS Data Feedback Reports
Southern Union measures the total completion rates of each fall cohort consisting of all first-time degree-seeking students, of any age, within six years of their initial enrollment. SUSCC compares its completion metrics using the National Student Clearinghouse® (NSC) Total Six- Year Completion Rate against the state benchmark of students who started at an Alabama two-year public institution.
Total Six-Year Completion Rate
First-time Degree/Certificate Seeking Students
Cohort |
SUSCC Outcomes |
Alabama
|
Differential |
Threshold Met? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Fall 2011 |
36.71% |
33.02% |
+3.69% |
Yes |
|
Fall 2012 |
38.86% |
36.12% |
+2.74% |
Yes |
|
Fall 2013 |
43.76% |
37.22% |
+6.54% |
Yes |
|
Fall 2014 |
40.36% |
35.55% |
+4.81% |
Yes |
Achievement Goal for Fall 2015 is 42.71%
*Source: 2018-2021 NSC StudentTrackerSM Postsecondary Completions Reports
Total Six-Year Completion Rate by Gender and Race
First-time, Full-Time Degree/Certificate Seeking Students
Cohort |
Total |
Male |
Female |
African
|
Asian |
Hispanic |
White |
Other |
Two or
|
Race
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Fall 11 |
37% |
33% |
42% |
29% |
100% |
30% |
51% |
25% |
40% |
27% |
|
Fall 12 |
39% |
35% |
43% |
32% |
76% |
67% |
52% |
51% |
72% |
22% |
|
Fall 13 |
44% |
42% |
50% |
36% |
63% |
56% |
56% |
0% |
53% |
6% |
|
Fall 14 |
40% |
35% |
44% |
27% |
43% |
57% |
45% |
80% |
50% |
33% |
*Source: 2018-2021 NCS StudentTracker Postsecondary Completions Reports
Southern Union reviews the number of certificates and degrees awarded annually at the institution level. The College’s threshold of acceptability is to exceed the previous year’s total number of certificates and degrees awarded.
Number of Certificates and Degrees Awarded
Academic
|
Short
|
Certificates |
Associate Degrees |
Total |
Threshold Met? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
2017-18 |
1,064 |
167 |
646 |
1,877 |
Yes |
|
2018-19 |
806 |
187 |
702 |
1,695 |
No |
|
2019-20 |
784 |
169 |
579 |
1,532 |
No |
|
2020-21 |
718 |
200 |
591 |
1,509 |
No |
Achievement Goal for 2021-22 is 1,631
*Source: dax.accs.edu DAXAWARD-001S Award Summary by College
Southern Union measures the overall success rate in all traditional on-campus courses, distance education courses, and courses taught on off-campus sites. A grade of A, B, or C is counted as a successful student completion in a course; therefore, the College identifies the threshold of acceptability for overall course success as 70% or higher, regardless of the delivery.
Overall Course Success Rates
Academic
|
Student Course
|
Successful
|
Southern
|
Threshold Met? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
2017-18 |
39,178 |
28,791 |
73% |
Yes |
|
2018-19 |
38,115 |
28,716 |
75% |
Yes |
|
2019-20 |
38,026 |
28,753 |
76% |
Yes |
|
2020-21 |
30,789 |
23,453 |
76% |
Yes |
Achievement Goal for 2021-22 is 77%
*Source: dax.accs.edu DAXREG-001L Grade Listing by Department
Southern Union tracks the rate of employment of the College’s Career and Technical program graduates from the prior year, based on unemployment insurance data and faculty reporting (unemployment insurance data is limited to in-state students working for employers paying unemployment insurance). The College annually reports the percent of Career & Technical Education concentrators who have been employed, joined the military, or are serving in an apprenticeship program during the second quarter following the term in which they left the program. This metric is referred to as Core Indicator 4P1 in the Alabama Community College System (ACCS) Perkins Act Performance Report and SUSCC uses the ‘Targeted Level of Performance’ for this indicator as the threshold of acceptability.
Job Placement
Year |
Southern Union
|
ACCS Target
|
Differential |
Threshold Met? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Summer 2017-Spring 2018 |
79.56% |
79% |
+0.56% |
Yes |
|
Summer 2018-Spring 2019 |
80.32% |
73% |
+7.32% |
Yes |
|
Summer 2019-Spring 2020 |
65.46% |
73% |
-7.54% |
No |
|
Summer 2020-Spring 2021 |
71.00% |
72.2% |
-1.2% |
No |
Achievement Goal for Summer 2021-Spring 2022 is 75.95%
*Source: dax.accs.edu DAXPERK-008L Perkins Performance Report II-Indicator 4P1