PC ranked among elite in the nation
Rated second best community college in state
Porterville College (PC) is starting the year off on the right foot with awards seemingly pouring in from all directions.
The college was recently rated one of the top 20 community colleges in the nation, according to the personal finance website, Wallethub.com. The site conducted an in-depth analysis of 670 community colleges in the country using a data set that included a total of 17 key metrics, ranging from the cost of in-state tuition and fees to student-faculty ratio. Porterville was ranked 11th.
Results were divided into four key dimensions: Cost and Financing, Classroom Experience, Education Outcomes, and Career Outcomes. Data used to create the rankings came via the National Center for Education Statistics, the Center for Community College Student Engagement, the Council for Community and Economic Research, and the American Institutes for Research and Optimity Advisers.
“Our mission starts out with students as our focus and as long as this college remains true to its values and philosophy, we will always be successful,” said President Dr. Rosa Flores-carlson in response to the release of the rankings.
PC was ranked as the second best community college in California, behind Taft College — No. 5 in the nation — and also came in at No. 10 in “Cost & Financing,” No. 145 in “Classroom Experience,” No. 364 in “Education Outcomes” and No. 1 in “Career Outcomes.”
“We are extremely proud of being listed as the 11th best community college,” Carlson said. “I am not surprised by this honor because I witness every day the dedication to our students and their education by the faculty and staff at Porterville College.”
PC was also recently named No. 2 in Northern California by USA Today: College in an article contrasting Northern and Southern California community colleges. And just this month, the college was listed at No. 7 out of 120 schools analyzed highlighting the top colleges in California that support careers in criminal justice and corrections.
“There is a growing
need for well-trained and educated individuals in all segments of public safety,” said Mo Montgomery, PC’S communications and marketing manager. “Employment opportunities exist for men and women in law enforcement, corrections, probation — juvenile and adult — at both the state and local levels in abundance. The Administration of Justice program at PC offers course work in all of these areas, giving students practical application in and out of the classroom.”
There’s a reason the program is one of the
most popular on campus, Montgomery said, crediting PC’S Career and Technical Education Chair Tim Brown, who oversees and teaches most of the Administration of Justice classes. Montgomery said Brown “has done an amazing job with the program and our students.”
John Corkins, board member for Kern Community College District, called the accolades a compliment to the leadership at the college, especially Carlson and her vice presidents.
“We see PC as one of our more effective colleges,” he said. “We know this is a group that goes the extra mile.”