By Emma Swinney, Public and Media Relations Coordinator
Today, August 26, 2024, marks the first day of Johnson County Community College’s (JCCC) 2024-2025 academic year. We are thrilled to welcome new and returning students to campus for another year of learning, achievement, and personal growth.
By the numbers
- Incoming students represent 40 U.S. states and more than 60 Kansas counties
- The top three largest areas of study for associate degree-seeking students are:
- The most popular majors are:
- The top three largest areas of study for certificate-seeking students are:
- 2,809 are first-time college students
- 1,463 are students transferring to JCCC from other schools
- 8,671 are returning JCCC students
Returning credit and previous JCCC student enrollment is up more than 6% from Fall 2023. JCCC is proud of our commitment to student retention and attributes this increase to efforts to make it easier for our students to meet their educational goals. In 2021, we adopted a Strategic Plan that outlined efforts to better meet students’ academic and personal needs.
New in student support
JCCC redesigned our new student onboarding and advising model to ensure all have effective tools and ways to explore, plan, and complete programs aligned with their educational and career goals efficiently and affordably.
Now JCCC requires all first-time college students to participate in mandatory new student orientation. The all-online campus orientation aims to help students clarify their educational objectives, prepare for advising and enrollment, and learn about JCCC’s resources and technology. Students can start, stop, and revisit the online orientation modules at any time and complete it at their own pace. For students without access to a computer, the orientation can be completed on a smartphone, or students are welcome to use the computers in the Student Success Center, located on the 2nd floor of JCCC’s Student Center.
At the start of August, JCCC launched a new Success Coaching program. Success Coaches meet with first-time college students to answer questions, assess their placement needs, discuss courseload, and recommend other resources as appropriate. While their initial meetings happen between a student completing orientation and meeting with their advisor, Success Coaches will provide their students with college success tips and support throughout the year through Success Coaching newsletters, one-on-one sessions, and skill-development pop-up events and workshops.
In addition, all JCCC credit students are assigned a counselor who can help them create academic plans, review degree progress, address mental health needs, and prepare for and explore careers. While these services are currently available to any student who needs them, JCCC hopes to phase into requiring mandatory advising for the incoming class of Fall 2025.
New in academics
This past spring, JCCC piloted a new tool called Plan My Classes (PMC). This online platform helps students explore different majors and what-if scenarios, see degree requirements, plan future class schedules, and track their progress toward their goals. A student and their advising team will use PMC to map a full-program academic plan, communicate with the student and each other, and monitor degree/certificate progress.
Additionally, JCCC restructured and centralized resources in our Academic Achievement Center, where all credit students can receive free, in-person, or online tutoring for coursework and learn strategies for being successful students. This year, the College hired a full-time staff member to help the Academic Achievement Center triage incoming student requests and ensure appropriate follow-ups.
JCCC has also started to implement a model called Guided Pathways, a national effort developed at the Community College Research Center at Columbia University. Now degree and certificate programs are organized into areas of interest, which groups similar academic and career fields so students can explore careers, then choose a major and create an academic plan — allowing them to save time and money. Presenting the careers and opportunities within a general field helps students to choose a major that will prepare them for a post-grad job they value, or to transfer their earned credits to a four-year school without unintended excess credits.
“This generation of students comes to us with a specific set of academic and personal needs that we as higher education professionals haven’t seen before. Our students have shifted, and we need to change with them,” said Dr. Mickey McCloud, Executive Vice President and Provost of JCCC. “At JCCC, we aim for constant innovation and improvement to meet our student, workforce, and community needs in today’s changing world.”
Changes to higher education statewide
The 2024-2025 academic year also brings sweeping changes to higher education across Kansas. This is the first year the Kansas Board of Regents (KBOR) Systemwide General Education initiative will take effect at all state community colleges, Washburn University, and the six state universities.
This framework makes transferring credits within the Kansas public higher education system easier for all students. Completing general education credit hours at JCCC (or other participating colleges) will also count toward degree requirements at the institution they transfer to (unless an exception for a specific program has been approved by KBOR). More details can be found on KBOR’s website.
Know someone ready to be a Cavalier?
Each year more than 29,000 students from around the country — and the world — enroll as full- or part-time credit students at JCCC with goals to earn certificates and associate degrees to enter the workforce fast, or to earn valuable credits to transfer to another college or university.
Our course schedules include day, evening, and weekend classes, so students can schedule their classes around jobs and other responsibilities. We also offer on-campus, online, and hybrid classroom experiences, and we have numerous resources that make it easy for our students to balance school, work, and life. Whether you are interested in earning a degree, changing careers, or expanding your skillset for a higher-paying job – your tomorrow can start here.
Late registration for Fall 2024 ends tomorrow, August 27. Learn more at jccc.edu.
