COTC recognized by Achieving the Dream as a 2025 Leader College
Central Ohio Technical College
(COTC) has been designated a Leader College by Achieving the
Dream (ATD), a national nonprofit dedicated to advancing
community colleges as accessible hubs of learning, credentialing
and economic mobility in their communities. The college’s
three-year Leader College term began Feb. 20, 2025. COTC is among
15 community colleges from across the nation to be honored with
this designation.
“As with any award or special recognition, this Leader College distinction reflects the hard work of our faculty and staff to improve student success and reduce equity gaps on our campus,” said COTC President John M. Berry, PhD. “COTC continues to shed light on Ohio as a place to receive a quality education and prepare for a career.”
To achieve Leader College designation, institutions must show an increase of 3% or more in two major student success categories (e.g., retention or completion) and a significant narrowing of achievement gaps between student demographic categories (e.g., under 25/over 25). COTC exceeded expectations in both categories through innovation and commitment to holistic student support initiatives.
COTC has demonstrated a six-percentage-point increase in its credit completion ratio, from just over 65% for the autumn 2020 cohort to 71% for the autumn 2023 cohort. This reflects the institution’s commitment to creating a supportive learning environment that enables students to complete courses at a higher rate. This positive shift can be traced to three major initiatives:
- creation of the holistic Student Success Center
- efforts to improve first-level math and English course completion
- renewed focus on quality learning experiences (across modalities) supported by COTC’s Teaching and Learning Center and the eLearning Champions Committee
Additionally, COTC achieved a fall-to-fall persistence rate of 52.7% for the autumn 2022 cohort, up three percentage points compared to the autumn 2019 cohort, which includes cohorts whose persistence was hampered by the COVID-19 pandemic. The college boosted this metric through a comprehensive set of initiatives designed to provide students with personalized guidance, targeted support and clear academic pathways.
Finally, the college was able to significantly narrow performance gaps in several key areas. COTC increased completion rates of first-level English courses by first-generation students (from nine percentage points behind their peers to two points ahead). The college also improved the fall-to-fall persistence (retention) of students over 25 years of age, compared to their younger peers.
COTC has been a member of the Achieving the Dream (ATD) Network, a coalition of more than 300 colleges in 45 states and the District of Columbia dedicated to improving student success, since 2021.
COTC is a fully accredited, public college dedicated to providing high-quality, accessible programs of technical education in response to current and emerging employment needs. COTC has four campus locations: Newark, Coshocton, Knox and Pataskala.