Pathways to Achieving Completion and Equity (PACE) Project
A $2.2 million federal Department of Education grant was awarded to Peninsula College on September 28, 2018. Beginning October 1, 2018, the college will receive roughly $450K per year for five years. The total cost of the Peninsula College PACE Project is $2,762,938, with the US Department of Education funding 81% of total costs ($2,227,618), and Peninsula College contributing the remaining 19% ($535,320) of project costs.
Activities
The three core activities of the PACE project reflect several strategic objectives of Peninsula College’s Strategic Plan, Guided Pathways Work Plan, Strategic Enrollment Management (SEM) Plan, and Academic Unit Plans. The Grant Proposal can be found here. See Achievements and Expectations for progress towards goals.
Activity 1: Improve student engagement and support
- Implement First Year Experience (FYE) also known as COLL I01: College Success
- Establish Career Center and Services
Activity 2: Build a culture of equity and inclusion
- Implement Single Point of Contact Advising
- Create Peer Mentor services for underserved students
- Establish Veteran’s Center and services
- Improve ʔaʔk̓ʷustəƞáwt̓xʷ House of Learning, Peninsula College Longhouse, and integrate with instruction
- Install culturally relevant wayfinding signs
- Improve technology for students with disabilities
Activity 3: Achieve excellence in teaching and learning.
- Launch Center for Teaching and Learning
Goals and Objectives
The work of the PACE project will significantly impact the following areas. Click here for the list of measures.
- Increase retention, graduation, and transfer outcomes and increased satisfaction with transfer credit assistance.
- Improve students’ career readiness and employment success.
- Reduce disparities in academic progress among underserved students.
- Enhance campus culture of equity and inclusion.
- Improve academic quality by increased planning, professional development, and implementation of evidence-based practices.
Endowment
A total of $425,000 of the Title III grant ($85,000 per year for five years) represents “challenge” funds—a capacity building provision that requires fundraising of an equal amount. The combined matching and grant funds will be placed in a lasting endowment to support student success programs. The Peninsula College Foundation has committed to raising the matching $425,000 on behalf of Peninsula College, and hopes to surpass the total endowment goal of $850,000. The Foundation has established an endowment with funds raised to date, and is seeking additional contributions as the match effort continues. Any funds left unmatched will be lost, so please consider making a contribution today by contacting the Foundation office or by giving online to the ForPC, Forward Endowment at: https://pencol.edu/foundation/give/online. For more information about Peninsula College Foundation’s match fundraising effort, contact Getta Rogers Workman at grogers@pencol.edu or phone (360) 417-6400.
Tasks/Methods
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First Year Experience (FYE) also known as COLL I01: College Success
FYE integrates orientation, advising, course work, and first-year extracurricular activities to help students develop a personalized plan for success in college and in life. The focus of this course is on career and academic pathway exploration, as well as the development of study skills and habits of mind that promote student success. Students are also introduced to and encouraged to utilize services offered by the college. FYE was initially offered as a 5-credit course to all new AA degree seekers. Modules will be developed that address the course outcomes and can be integrated into already existing courses in programs that do not have room for an additional 5-credit course in their program maps.
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Career Center
The Career Center offers comprehensive “next-step” services to engage and support students in achieving their career, transfer, and employment goals. Career Services are available to all students from intake to completion and at multiple points along the way. The Career Center is located in the Atrium in Student Services (Building D) and offers career and major exploration tools, guidance with transferring to another college or university, as well as job search services, resume writing tutorials, and workshops on interviewing and other skills to improve post-completion job placement and earnings.
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Single Point of Contact Advising
Peninsula College Advising Services has adopted a single point of contact advising model which assigns one advisor to a student from intake to completion. These advisors ensure that each student connects with enhanced and/or culturally relevant academic supports, including tutoring, services for students with disabilities, veteran services, math lab, writing center, and multicultural services. They provide ongoing success-oriented advising that offers support and resources to address students’ needs, whether academic, personal, or financial. Students are required to meet with their SPOC at least once per quarter to be eligible for course registration, but advisors are also available throughout the quarter for help with adding/dropping courses, referral to available resources, and general advising questions.
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Peer Mentors
Peer mentors are students who are embedded in FYE courses with the intent to form positive relationships with each student and serve as models of academic success. Peer mentors work collaboratively with the instructor to offer activities to help students navigate college life both in and out of the classroom. They will help students to engage in campus clubs and activities as well as form study groups outside of class and to engage in extra-curricular activities tied to career pathways.
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Veteran’s Center
Located in the Pirate Union Building, our new Veterans Center is close to the heart of student activities. Here veteran students will find a welcoming community and a quiet study space, along with monthly workshops on topics like financial aid management, study strategies for students with traumatic brain injury and/or PTSD, career advising and more.
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ʔaʔk̓ʷustəƞáwt̓xʷ House of Learning (Peninsula College Longhouse)
An Indigenous Medicine Garden Trail Loop is being designed to run alongside the ʔaʔk̓ʷustəƞáwt̓xʷ House of Learning, Peninsula College Longhouse, and behind the facility into an on-campus wetlands nature area. An amphitheater-style seating area with a demonstration kitchen and a salmon pit will be installed to create a lecture and demonstration area for traditional Native medicinal plant/cooking demonstrations and other active learning opportunities.
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Wayfinding signs
Landmark directory signs will be installed that reflect the partnerships between Peninsula College and six local tribal nations: Hoh, Quileute, Makah, Port Gamble S'Klallam, Jamestown S'Klallam, and Lower Elwha Klallam, that collaborated to build the ʔaʔk̓ʷustəƞáwt̓xʷ House of Learning, Peninsula College Longhouse, as the first Longhouse in the nation build on a community college campus. Each sign will include the word “welcome” in the three Indigenous languages of the area tribes. The signs will be placed at the points of entry around the campus and will include arrows pointing students and visitors to all of the major buildings on campus. A similar sign will be installed at the entry to the Forks campus. The first wayfinding sign is expected to be installed by September, 2021.
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KIC Scanners
Peninsula College has utilized Title III funds to purchase three KIC Click Scanners, which enable quick scanning of print materials to PDF, image file, audio file, or a fully accessible OCR document compatible with screen reader technology. The KIC scanner is located in the library on the Port Angeles campus and is accessible to students, staff, and faculty. KIC scanners are also located at the Port Townsend and Forks campuses.
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Center for Teaching and Learning
The Center for Teaching and Learning facilitates college research, planning, and collaboration around the implementation of large-scale evidence-based practices, and connects faculty and staff with professional development opportunities focused on evidence-based practices. Faculty and staff that pursue these professional development opportunities develop a presentation or resource packet that will be made available through the CTL. The CTL will also serve as a repository and disseminator of online course modules for faculty and staff including classroom management skills, best practices in classroom assessment and evaluation, and expectations and professional strategies for building a more equitable campus community. Also being developed through the CTL is a process for peer observations that will provide opportunity to connect faculty to professional development, support, and online training materials.