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August is always an exciting time at �й�����Ƭ. Our campuses come to life as students from across our region take the next step in their journeys to better lives. 

Some are here to complete the first two years of a bachelor’s degree before transferring to a four-year university. Some are pursuing high-demand careers in industries like healthcare, advanced manufacturing and computer information technology. Others are learning new skills to advance at their workplaces. 

Whatever their goals, I’m grateful for each and every ECTC student and the confidence they’ve put in this institution and its faculty and staff. They’ve entrusted us to help them reach their potential and to add value to their lives.

“Your success is our success,” we often tell our students. I promise you, it’s more than a tagline. 

A college’s success might be measured by its enrollment, its budget or the number of new construction projects. Of course, those things are important. But truly, the greatest measure of ECTC’s success is student outcomes. That’s how we, as a college, hold ourselves accountable.

So, it’s a point of pride that student success measures across the board continue to improve at ECTC. 

The graduation rate has climbed from 31% in 2017 to 57% in 2024. The national community college graduation rate is 36%. What’s more is the number of credentials awarded has increased to nearly 3,900 in 2024.

In addition, the course success rate jumped 13 points to 79% from Fall 2018 to Fall 2023. That means 79% of all classes attempted were completed with a C or better. Failure and withdraw rates are steadily declining. 

The ECTC faculty and staff have worked hard to make incremental changes and to sustain those efforts – from transitioning to an eight-week term, to partnering with Family Scholar House and mental health providers, to centralizing services like tutoring and success coaching.

We are committed to improvement, growth and relevance, and we know our work is not done. We get better so we can help our students get better.

With a new academic year underway, I want to welcome all new members of the ECTC community – new students, families, employer partners and supporters. To all our students, I wish you a successful semester. And for those we haven’t met, I encourage you to learn more about your community and technical college. Visit elizabethtown.kctcs.edu to get started.