SLCC is 5th in nation for associate degrees

Salt Lake Community College placed fifth in the nation for the number of associate degrees conferred last year.

The rankings were released Wednesday as part of the 2007 Top 100 Associate Degree Producers list, compiled by Community College Week magazine with information and data from the U.S. Department of Education. Information reflects the 2005-06 school year.

"It says something about our efficiency when you look at our size, which is small compared to other institutions," said Joy Tlou, SLCC's spokesman.

The 2,829 associate degrees given to SLCC graduates in all disciplines for the latest ranking period was tops among two-year schools in all states other than New York and Florida, which have schools that placed first through fourth on the list.

Tlou said the ranking was "impressive" due to the fact that two-year public schools across the country are having trouble retaining and graduating their students. The report says that colleges have dismissed graduation rates as a way to rank the college experience as most students take longer to finish and many community-college students enroll only part-time.

A recent study done by the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) concluded that SLCC has an overall graduation rate 3 1/2 times that of its peer institutions. IPEDS also found that SLCC retains both its full- and part-time students at rates about 25 percent higher than its peers and awards about 60 percent more total associate degrees than its peer group.

Tlou said, "SLCC will likely continue its impressive performance among the Top 100 Producers list as the 2008 rankings will include its record graduating class from this past academic year."

The school has shown exponential growth and spreads across multiple locations along the Wasatch Front, accommodating nearly 60,000 students within a calendar year.

"We attribute the success to the excellent schools on the Wasatch Front, students are coming prepared and the motivation to complete is very strong," Tlou said.

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E-mail: wleonard@desnews.com