Editorial: CNM on positive path

Central New Mexico Community College got serious about student success and it’s paying off.

The two-year college made a commitment to seeing more students graduate. As a result, CNM has more than doubled its graduation rates in the past few years. In the 2011-2012 school year, the college awarded more than 6,100 associate degrees and certificates. By comparison, it awarded 2,329 in the 2008-2009 school year. The college also increased the percentage of students who transfer to a four-year university.

The efforts likely contributed to CNM being one of five finalists in the American Association of Community Colleges student success competition. The winner will be announced on April 23. CNM President Kathie Winograd credits the college’s commitment to graduating more students and creating schedules to help them get through.

“CNM has quite a very significant role in the discussion about needing to graduate more students not only at CNM but throughout the whole system, and we are a big participant in that because New Mexico is just in a place where we’ve got to get serious about turning our system around,” Winograd said.

Winograd is right about the need to turn the system around. A national study projects that by the year 2020 61 percent of all jobs will require at least an associate degree. Currently, only 32 percent of New Mexicans possess an associate degree or higher.

An educated workforce is critical to the economic health of the nation and the state. CNM is to be commended for its strides toward helping students reach their goals and become productive members of society.

This editorial first appeared in the Albuquerque Journal. It was written by members of the editorial board and is unsigned as it represents the opinion of the newspaper rather than the writers.