American Association of Community Colleges names AC finalist for 2 awards

Edie Carter, AC’s interim dean of academic success and chair of developmental mathematics, has been named a finalist for the AACC’s Faculty Innovation Award.

And AC’s No Excuses Poverty Initiative, which earlier this year was the recipient of a Bellwether Award at the National Policy Summit and Futures Assembly, is among finalists yet again — this time for the AACC’s Student Success Award.

The winners of the AACC awards will be announced on Monday, April 24 during the conference’s gala dinner.

The Faculty Innovation Award recognizes faculty who have demonstrated leadership in development and implementation of a campus program that has had a positive impact on the learning experience for students. As the leader of AC’s Developmental Math Team, Carter has overseen the creation of learner-centered classrooms and one-on-one student interaction leading to a nearly 50 percent decrease in drop rates, along with a 75-percent pass rate among those who persist.

“Rarely can one person ensure the success of so many by simply loving them,” AC President Russell Lowery-Hart said. “Edie Carter truly loves each and every student to success.”

The AACC’s Student Success Award recognizes a community college program that has demonstrated a sustained, proactive commitment to the cause of student success. AC’s No Excuses Poverty Initiative is a perfect fit. The initiative facilitates student success through five game-changing components: Social Services, Food Pantry, Mentoring Program, Career and Employment Services, and Predictive Modeling of individual student success. Students who take advantage of these services stay in school at a rate almost 20 percent higher than the average among students at AC.

“In my 25 years in higher education, I’ve never seen one initiative completely change an entire college — until now,” Lowery-Hart said. “Our No Excuses Poverty Initiative has shown by addressing a student’s basic needs, particularly those that are non-academic in nature, we can ensure a student’s success and ultimately the achievement of their academic goals.”