SCCC earns spot on Department of Education “Raise the Bar” excellence list

By Rachel Coleman SCCC

LIBERAL, Kan. — Seward County Community College has been listed by the United States Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona as one of 100 two-year colleges in the nation on the “Raise the Bar” initiative. Currently, there are more than 1,100 community colleges in the nation. Raise the Bar recognizes institutions that excel at empowering students to change their life trajectory through education and workforce development.
Through the Postsecondary Success Recognition Program launched in April 2024, the Department of Education used data and evidence to identify exemplars across the country. SCCC earned a spot on the resulting list of “institutions that clearly have a story to tell that demonstrates what institutions do matters to ensure student success,” the DOE stated.
Data from SCCC showed the college excels in:
Enrollment of low-income students and students of color in Kansas;
Helping those students graduate or transfer successfully; and
Preparing them to enter the career of their choice and enjoy upward mobility, including recouping their costs and earning a premium over high school graduates in their state.
“It’s an honor to be named on this list,” said SCCC President Brad Bennett. “Our focus at SCCC is student success in the ways that matter: providing skills and certifications so that students can go on to pursue their dreams, and achieve them.” Data, Bennett noted, is the best way to track whether or not SCCC is accomplishing that goal.
“It’s gratifying to be recognized by the Department of Education in terms of this type of evaluation,” said Bennett. “It means we are on the right track in our everyday practices.”
In his introduction to the Raise the Bar initiative, Secretary of Education Cardona emphasized the importance of two-year institutions like SCCC.
“Some of the most important innovations in higher education today are being driven by institutions that get little glory but that are narrowing gaps in access to college opportunity and accelerating their graduates’ economic mobility,” he stated. “I can think of no work more worthy of prestige than putting higher education within the reach of more Americans, and helping our students attain degrees that change their lives — just as mine did for me.”
Being named to the list means SCCC is eligible to apply for special funding and program support through the Department of Education, although there is no guarantee funding will be awarded.
Nonetheless, Bennett said the recognition is worth celebrating.
“Everything we do here is for our students,” he said. “It’s a great feeling to have that acknowledged at this level.”