League Reaffirmation - Johnson County Community College

Counseling is an exemplary
practice program
JCCC’s Counseling Services Center was recognized as an exemplary
practice program by the National Academic Advising Association.
The program will be included in the organization’s 2007 advising special
populations monograph. In identifying exemplary practices, the selection
committee sought programs that possess distinctive characteristics, were
representative of a variety of institutional types, and had the potential to
be replicated at other colleges and universities.
“Because students go through transitions as they journey along their
higher education path, staff in the Counseling Services Center has
followed student development theory in their approach to students’
decision­making needs. The Counseling Center provides a ‘holistic’
approach to addressing what the students need when the students
need it. Understanding that students develop at various levels,
sometimes unrelated to chronological age, the counselors seek to
meet them at the point they are and create a learning environment
that allows them to move on to the next level of decisions.”
– Dr. Dennis Day, vice president, Student Services
Exemplary initiative award for EAP
JCCC was named the recipient in 2005 of an Exemplary Initiative Award
from the National Council of Instructional Administrators. JCCC was
named winner in the “curriculum innovation” category for its English for
Academic Purposes program. Mary Grace Foret, associate professor,
English; Maggie Ackelson, professor, learning strategies; and Roslyn
Bethke, professor, reading/Academic Achievement Center, initiated the
EAP in fall 2004. EAP offers integrated courses in reading/vocabulary,
writing/grammar and speaking/pronunciation at two levels in a
learning­community format with additional stand­alone courses.
“Seeing the EAP grow from a vision to a reality has been one
of the most fulfilling experiences of my career. I am humbled
by the immensely positive support that continues from all parts
of the campus to ensure that we are providing the best learning
environment for adult English language learners, many of whom
have given up almost everything in their home countries to come
to the U.S.”
– Mary Grace Foret, associate professor, English
Kansas adult
education program
one of nation’s best
In November 2005, the Kansas
Board of Regents announced that
Kansas had been selected by
the U.S. Department of Education
as a “Best Practice” state for its
adult education program, one
of only three states in the nation
to receive this distinction. Project
Finish, co ­sponsored by JCCC
and the Johnson County Library,
is the largest adult education
program in Kansas, serving
25 percent of the ABE students
in the state. Adult education
programs serve persons age
16 and older who are in need
of basic skills to assist them in
the workforce, community
participation and family life.
“For 25 years, Project Finish
has educated illiterate adults,
taught English as a second
language, prepared learners
for the high school
equivalency test (GED)
and delivered big doses of
confidence to people who
lacked necessary academic
skills. More than 40,000
adults have received
instruction at Project Finish.
Today Project Finish is the
largest ABE program in
the state and recognized
as one of the best ABE
programs in the nation.”
– Susan McCabe,
program director,
ABE/GED/ESL
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