The Alpha Nu Omicron chapter of the Phi Theta Kappa international honor society at Wor-Wic Community College recently held several “Pledge to Completion” signings on campus, as part of a national PTK movement for community colleges called Community College Completion Corps (C4).
“The pledge signings are a wonderful example of students working together to spread the word about the importance of completing a certificate or associate degree before leaving Wor-Wic,” said Dr. Ray Hoy, president of Wor-Wic. “It’s very important for students to complete what they ‘start here’ before they transfer to a four-year college or university or enter the workplace.”
In the American Graduation Initiative, President Barack Obama has called for community colleges to produce an additional 5 million degrees and certificates in the next 10 years as part of his goal to restore the U.S. as the world's leader in college graduates.
In April of 2010, leaders of six national organizations representing the nation's 1,200 community colleges signed “The Call to Action,” which is a pledge to increase student completion rates by 50 percent over the next decade. PTK was the only student organization asked to participate.
“PTK members at Wor-Wic are committed to doing their part to encourage fellow students to commit to complete,” said Terry Thompson, an associate professor of biological science and a PTK advisor at Wor-Wic. “So far, more than 100 signatures have been collected at Wor-Wic’s pledge signings, and more signings are being planned throughout the semester.”
COMPLETION SIGNING.
From left, Todd Gairrett of Bishopville, a chemical dependency counseling major and president of the Alpha Nu Omicron chapter of the Phi Theta Kappa international honor society at Wor-Wic, collects a “Pledge to Completion” signature from Shane Johnson of Salisbury, a manufacturing engineering technology major.