This began during the weekly Board of Trustee meeting on Aug. 16 at 7 p.m., where Dr. Fierro and Dr. Amber Hroch gave a presentation on the Stretch Goals and Key Performance Indicators for the new semester.
The data shown within the presentation showcased the graduation rates of first-time fall cohorts from 2013 – 2021, steadily rising in the first two-year bar graph category.
It should be noted that the data and goals shown in the presentation do not represent the entire student population and only represent first-time degree-seeking students.
Dr. Fierro does intend on helping raise the overall graduation rate for the entire student body but says that this is one of the first milestones needed to reach that goal.
“I’m going to lose 10 pounds by December but if I do nothing between when I set my goal and December… I didn’t get to the 10 pounds and there’s nothing I can do at that point,” said Fierro while giving an analogy of the plans to raise the graduation rate.
“Versus if I say every month I’m going to lose two pounds and in order to lose two, I start eating vegetables and walk a mile… by the end of the month I technically should’ve lost my two pounds which means I’m on track to meet my goal.”
“So we broke out this single goal, 50% of our students, within five years, into smaller bites, that we are going to track to determine whether or not we’re going to get to our goal,” said Dr. Fierro.
To reach this goal one of the things students will need to do is accumulate 15 units or more by their second year, so they need to take at least four to five units per semester, even in the summer.
“Students are four times more likely to graduate within five years if they complete 15+ units by their second year,” said Dr. Fierro about units from classes needed for students to complete their major.
The college will do what it can to provide students with the resources needed to reach this goal.
Among the other items of discussion was the recognition of the Cosmetology Program at Cerritos, which was voted to be the best by 64,000 readers of the Long Beach Telegram, who voted for their favorite businesses and organizations.
Dr. Lynn Wang, Cerritos College Faculty Federation President, also welcomed 25 new full-time faculty members.
