For immediate release — Sept. 18, 2014
(DALLAS) — Crossing the finish line in a race means winning. Crossing the finish line in college means students have completed a degree or a credential that will take them to the next step in their professional careers.
Completing those credentials means students must commit to their classes, their work and graduation. That’s what Commit to Complete Week is all about for students in the Dallas County Community College District. During the week of Sept. 22-26, they will have a chance to formalize that commitment by signing a pledge to complete a credential and also to participate in a number of activities that encourage them to cross their academic finish line at one of the seven colleges in the DCCCD system: Brookhaven, Cedar Valley, Eastfield, El Centro, Mountain View, North Lake or Richland. Dallas Colleges Online, the district’s “virtual” campus, will participate, as well as the district’s downtown headquarters.
Colleges and universities across the country and in Texas face the same challenge, and they want their students to finish what they have started. That challenge also has drawn community colleges in Texas together in a focused effort called Texas Completes, which includes Commit to Complete Week.
Cedar Valley College kicks off activities on Monday, Sept. 22, at 12:30 p.m. with an “I Commit” celebration for students that includes opportunities to sign completion pledges. Other colleges also will offer a variety of activities designed to increase awareness among students about the importance of finishing what they start: their degrees or certificates.
Anna Mays, vice president of student services at Cedar Valley College, has worked on Texas Completes since its statewide inception, and she also coordinates DCCCD’s systemwide efforts. Providing the tools and support that students need to complete their college education is critical, said Mays.
“In 2010, our district joined with four other large Texas college systems to participate in a planning grant titled ‘Completion by Design,’ which was funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Our role in that effort led us to launch a state action plan for DCCCD, Alamo, El Paso, Lone Star and South Texas colleges, or Texas Completes,” said Mays.
She added, “All of the member colleges in Texas Completes are determined to find ways to promote student success and to increase the number of those students who earn certificates and degrees. We also are committed to contain costs; reduce the time to completion; ensure we provide high-quality programs; and place students in the job market, with credentials, once they graduate.”
Commit to Complete activities have been planned by student life offices, Student Government Associations and the college chapters of Phi Theta Kappa, the international academic honorary for community colleges. “Commit2Complete” events and programs for DCCCD include free T-shirts, buttons and other incentives that are provided for the system’s colleges with the support of the Greater Dallas Regional Chamber of Commerce. Materials from PTK’s C4 toolkit (C4 is the Community College Completion Corps) will be shared with participants, including online and in-person C4 Pledges to Completion.
Here are some of the activities scheduled during DCCCD’s Commit to Complete Week, Sept. 22-26:
Brookhaven College
Members of the Brookhaven College PTK chapter will promote Commit to Complete activities beginning Monday, Sept. 22, with activities continuing through Friday, Sept. 26. All events are scheduled in the Commons Courtyard, and PTK members are asking students to sign “Commit2Complete” banners and then to complete and sign a pledge card, which will enable the college to track the students’ progress. The college will use those cards to contact students by email or telephone (if the students give their permission) to offer any help, especially in mentoring, to those who may need further assistance.
Cedar Valley College
Monday, Sept. 22, at 12:30 p.m., the college will hold an “I Commit” celebration with a variety of activities, plus opportunities for students to sign their completion pledge cards. The college’s PTK chapter, named this year’s top chapter internationally, has taken a leadership role in planning and coordinating the week’s events. Cedar Valley College is located at 3030 N. Dallas Ave. in Lancaster.
Eastfield College
Students can picture themselves as a college graduate — literally — in a cap and gown at Eastfield College on Wednesday, Sept. 24, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Pit. On Monday, Sept. 22, the college also will host an “Evening Come and Go” for night students, featuring similar activities. Staff members will be on hand during both events to talk to students about applying for scholarships, using campus resources that will help them stay on target for completion and becoming an Eastfield alumnus. During both events, students can sign pledge cards, enjoy refreshments and win prizes. Eastfield College is located at 3737 Motley Drive in Mesquite.
Mountain View College
Called the Climb to Success, college completion activities at Mountain View College kick off on Monday, Sept. 22, so that students can follow the footsteps to completion. A wall signing and reception will be held in the Treetop Lounge from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. as well as 5 to 6:30 p.m., and advisors will be available to talk about how students can develop strategies to complete their degree plans. On Tuesday, Sept. 23, activities are scheduled from 9 to 11 a.m. at the West Entrance, including pledge card and wall signings, face painting, music and refreshments, plus degree audit and graduation information. Students also can go to the Learning Lab Center to receive one-on-one degree audit reviews and printouts for graduation planning. The event will be repeated twice, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the West Hallway on Wednesday and from 5 to 6:30 p.m. on Thursday in the same location. Student testimonials, information about transferring to area colleges and universities, and advising will be offered on different days as well. Mountain View College is located at 4849 W. Illinois Ave. in Dallas.
North Lake College
North Lake College students are signing a mass pledge, and they are promising to complete their associate degrees or certificates before leaving community college to either transfer to a four-year college/university or enter the job market. Administrators, faculty and staff also have been asked to sign the pledge, committing themselves to do whatever they can to help students complete their credentials. NLC students will gather on Wednesday, Sept. 24, from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. in the Student Life Center on the college’s central campus (5001 N. MacArthur Blvd. in Irving) to sign the completion pledge. The event will be hosted by North Lake’s Phi Theta Kappa chapter. Student support services, such as advising and disability services, also will attend the signing to answer student questions and help map out possible career pathways.
Richland College
Richland College has scheduled completion activities each day, Sept. 22-26. On Monday, the college will promote Completion Week Awareness, and representatives from advising, the office of student life, counseling and the Learning Center who help students with completion will be on hand to talk to students. Materials about completion, as well as “I Commit” cards, will be handed out on campus, too. A fall club fair is set for Tuesday, Sept. 23, and students will be invited to join one of many clubs on campus. Wednesday, Sept. 24, is Dream Transfer Day. Students will be encouraged to wear college shirts from the schools where they want to transfer after they graduate from Richland. Pledge cards and completion handouts will be distributed again, and students can have their pictures taken in the Completion Week photo booth. On Thursday, all Richland Thunderducks — employees and students alike — will be encouraged to wear their college colors; pledge cards will be available for students to sign. Completion Week activities conclude on Friday, Sept. 26, with a banner signing and presentation to the college administration.
Dallas Colleges Online
DCCCD’s virtual campus has several activities scheduled. On Monday, Sept. 22, “Commit” forms will be posted online, on Facebook and on Twitter for students to complete; advisors will talk to students and provide promotional materials in their offices. On Tuesday, Sept. 23, they will host a YouTube search and place messages on Facebook about what completing a credential means. Those efforts will continue throughout the week, and contest winners will be announced on Friday.
DCCCD District Office
The District Office will hold a special ceremony on Wednesday, Sept. 24, at 11:30 a.m. in the foyer to honor employees who are students, encouraging them to pledge their commitment to complete the degrees or certificates they are pursuing. The office is located at 1601 S. Lamar St. in downtown Dallas.
El Centro College will hold completion activities in October.
For more information, contact Ann Hatch in the DCCCD office of public and governmental affairs by phone at (214) 378-1819 or by email at
ahatch@dcccd.edu.