NWTC garners highest honor from Achieving the Dream

Nearly 11 years ago, NWTC became the first Wisconsin college to join Achieving the Dream, then a small, select group of community colleges from around the country committed to improving student success. Now, ATD is a national network of over 300 community colleges, and NWTC has received the network’s highest honor – the Leah Meyer Austin Award. 

“The Leah Meyer Austin Award recognizes bold, transformational changes that put equity, access, and student success at the center of their institutional priorities,” said Dr. Karen A. Stout, ATD president and CEO. “Northeast Wisconsin Technical College has demonstrated a tenacious commitment to making the college ‘student-ready,’ a cultural shift that has shown clear, positive impacts in the success of its students.” 

Since joining the ATD Network, NWTC has substantively increased student persistence, credit completion, and the proportion of students who successfully transfer and earn a baccalaureate degree. NWTC has also narrowed equity gaps for students receiving Pell grants, part-time students, and student parents.  

“This recognition validates the importance of the work we have accomplished over the last ten years,” said Dr. Jeff Rafn, NWTC president. “ATD published an eight-page case study of NWTC. As a result, NWTC will continue to have a national impact on the ability of community colleges to increase student success and reduce equity gaps. That means our work will result in more students around the country succeeding and soaring higher!”