A New State of College
Amidst a changing higher education landscape, we must assess Pikes Peak’s unique strengths and challenges to make intentional and measurable choices. We must ask ourselves, what will it take for Pikes Peak to thrive, not only over the next 5 years but for many years to come?
While Pikes Peak has made progress on many key performance indicators, we know that improving retention, student success, and graduation rates should always be at the forefront of our work. Improving these metrics not only benefits our students, but improves the College’s overall financial health, thus benefiting faculty, instructors and staff as well.
By the end of the strategic planning period, Pikes Peak’s retention, graduation and course pass rates should be equivalent to if not exceed those of the other urban Colorado Community College System (CCCS) colleges:
In striving toward this overarching goal and the strategic priorities below, PPSC remains committed to the College’s vision, mission and values statements:
Vision: Students succeed at PPSC.
Mission: Our mission is to provide high quality educational opportunities to all with a focus on student success and community needs.
Values: We value a community built on learning, mutual respect, and diversity.
Fall to Fall, IPEDS cohort, full-time, first-time, degree seeking only:
Fall to Fall, all students, full and part-time, including both degree and non-degree seeking students*
*IPEDS data tracks first-time, full-time, degree-seeking students. “All students” tracks degree and non-degree-seeking students, full and part-time, and is not limited to students in their first term. Thus, in the “all students” data, below-average retention rates among first-time students can be obscured by above-average retention rates among concurrent enrollment students, and there can be a wide range between full-time and part-time students.
(Fall 2019, graduated by Summer 2022, IPEDS cohort):
In early fall 2021, the Core Strategy Team (CST) was formed. This team, comprised of faculty, staff and administrators, led the strategic planning process from summer 2021 through fall 2022: analyzing data, gathering ideas and concerns from the College community, and assessing higher education trends. Additional details about the strategic planning process can be found in Appendix A of the downloadable strategic plan.
In support of the overall goal of improving retention,