Research Projects

Student Needs Assessment Project

For many Tri-C students, difficulties with finances, basic needs and the logistics of attending college threaten their success. While the College offers students support services and has implemented varied outreach strategies, too often students remain disconnected from the resources they need. The Student Needs Assessment Project evaluates the extent of the challenges students face as well as students’ knowledge and use of available resources. It seeks to identify the additional services and outreach strategies that can make the College’s support for students more robust.

This research was supported by a generous grant from the Rollin M. Gerstacker Foundation.

Longitudinal Study

The purpose of this research was to shed light on the limited economic mobility of the under-resourced Cuyahoga Community College students documented by Raj Chetty of Harvard University. The researchers sought to better understand the trajectories that under-resourced community college students follow in their transitions to adulthood. Researchers tracked under-resourced students who attended Tri-C between 2002 and 2006 , when they were 19-22 years old, and followed them to the present to determine whether they achieved upward economic mobility and identify the impediments they faced.

This research was supported by a generous grant from the Rollin M. Gerstacker Foundation.

Social Capital Project

A lack of social capital can interfere with college success or make it hard for students to translate degrees into good jobs. This effort will help Tri-C faculty and staff better understand how work to with students to supply social capital.  All interventions will be piloted and evaluated prior to implementation.

Report forthcoming.