Achieving the Dream Recognizes SUNY Schenectady As A 2024 Leader College
Dr. Steady Moono, President of SUNY Schenectady (center), with Ann Fleming Brown, Chair of the SUNY Schenectady Board of Trustees (on his right), and Dr. Karen Stout, President and Chief Executive Officer of Achieving the Dream (on his left), with the SUNY Schenectady Team at the 20th Anniversary DREAM Annual Convening 2024.
SUNY Schenectady today announced that it is one of 10 community colleges from across the country that have been designated as Leader Colleges by Achieving the Dream (ATD), a national nonprofit dedicated to advancing community colleges as hubs of equity and economic mobility in their communities. SUNY Schenectady and the other institutions earned Leader College status after showing steady improvement in outcomes in student success.
SUNY Schenectady is part of the ATD Network, made up of 300+ colleges committed to advancing equity and supporting student success at their institutions and throughout their communities. SUNY Schenectady has been a member of the ATD Network since 2015.
Through their work with ATD coaches, SUNY Schenectady reimagined the student onboarding process using a professional advising case management model. The College assigned dedicated academic advisors that would support the student from their point of acceptance, throughout their journey to the completion of their degree or certificate. Additionally, the College invested in high-quality data structures and systems to provide a more holistic advising experience centered around the student’s personal, academic, and career plans. These measures have been a contributing factor in the College’s overall 4.7 percent increase in certificate- and degree-completion rates.
“We are extremely proud to be named a Leader College by Achieving the Dream, an honor that recognizes the accomplishments and transformational work that has been done by the entire SUNY Schenectady team,” said Dr. Steady Moono, College President. “Our participation in the ATD network has been a game-changer for us. We re-envisioned a bold, new approach to our advising model and as a result more students have been able to realize their academic dreams.”
SUNY Schenectady joins 34 other ATD colleges with Leader College designations. Leader Colleges play an important role in accelerating the adoption of effective practices within the ATD Network and across higher education. They are recognized for the quality of their work in whole-college reform, resulting in increased completion rates for all students. Leader Colleges develop innovative ways to work with other colleges to share knowledge and facilitate an exchange of ideas about evidence-based reform strategies.
“These recognitions are important to our colleges,” said Dr. Karen A. Stout, President and CEO of Achieving the Dream. “They affirm to their faculty and staff and communities the importance of their student success work and that they are making progress on important milestone metrics in their journeys. These institutions are exemplars of excellence within the ATD Network. They are driving accelerated and scaled gains in equitable student success results, which affect substantive improvements for students, families, and the communities they serve. Their dedication and hard work both inform and inspire other colleges, and we admire them for their work.”