Academics

After two successive years of earning “Silver” status in the state’s new performance funding model, Palm Beach State College is launching a “Go Bold for Gold!” initiative aimed at reaching the top echelon in 2016-17.

Focused primarily on increasing student retention and completion rates, the initiative doubles down on strategies introduced a year ago to support students’ progress toward graduation.  They include steps such as enhanced advising and communication, focused scholarships, improved class scheduling and identifying and providing certificate awards at certain completion points.

Palm Beach State President Ava L. Parker announced the “Go Bold for Gold!” drive at today’s Faculty Convocation, the traditional kickoff of the academic year. The College achieved a total performance score of 26.66 this year, higher than the state average of 23.87, but just shy of what was needed to achieve Gold status.  In 2015, the first year of performance funding, Palm Beach State’s score was 18.22.

“Our scores went up strongly from the first year to the second, but we are not content with that.  It is important for the College and for our students that we continue to move up. We want all students to successfully complete their program and achieve their educational goals,” Parker said.

Following the state model, the PBSC improvement initiatives focus on keeping first-time-in-college freshmen enrolled from year to year and on track to timely graduation.  The model also factors in job placement and continuing education rates after graduation and the entry-level wages of graduates.

Under the model, the state provides top funding incentives to Gold institutions, and also rewards Silver institutions with additional funding.  Colleges in the Bronze and Purple categories face a loss of new state investment funding.