2021-2022 Innovation of the Year Award Winner: Hudson County Community College

Hudson Scholars

Hudson Scholars is a tripartite model of student support providing proactive advisement, financial support linked to program engagement, and early academic intervention. Programs such as Hudson County Community College’s Educational Opportunity Fund and CUNY's Accelerated Study in Associate Programs were used as inspiration to support a broad population of incoming students. Traditional advisement at the college is often transient and transactional due to large (750:1) caseloads. Instead, Hudson Scholars are assigned in small caseloads (150:1) to an academic counselor with whom they meet monthly and complete a task to earn monthly stipends between $125-$250. Early data show that not only is fall-to-spring retention 34 percent higher for students invited to participate in the program, but 51 percent greater for students who meet with their counselor at least once. This improved retention has already covered current operating costs, while anticipated fall-to-fall retention makes long-term sustainability and scalability highly probable.

Innovator

  • Christopher Reber, President
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