This month marks the one-year anniversary of Charles Lepper starting as president of Grand Rapids Community College and as he looks ahead he said he’s focused on preparing for the college’s accreditation through the Higher Learning Commission (HLC), increasing retention rates and fine-tuning the institution’s strategic plan.
As the president and chief executive officer of GRCC, Lepper has the responsibility of the administration under the advisement of the board of trustees. Since his start last Jan. 15, GRCC has seen a rise in enrollment and an overall increase in the college’s revenue.
Lepper explained that his mission this semester is to prepare for the HLC accreditation process in March. This evaluation is not only important to the institution’s reputation but also plays a key role in the financial assistance that GRCC can provide for students.
“Institutions that students receive Title IV funding and stuff like Pell Grants must be accredited by one of the eight regionally accredited bodies that the Federal Department of Education recognizes,” Lepper said. “…the purpose of that is to ensure that students are receiving a quality education and that we are operating as a quality institution of higher learning.”
These evaluations occur over 10 years and GRCC has been preparing for this accreditation for almost two years to ensure that GRCC exceeds the HLC’s standards and that students will continue to receive quality education.
Outside of the HLC accreditation, Lepper said he plans to fine-tune GRCC’s strategic plan, work with the administration to develop a strategic enrollment management plan, strengthen partnerships with the K-12 system and four-year institutions as well as continue the college’s mission of belonging.
Lepper stated he is seeing an increase in student engagement and belonging himself.
“As I mentioned in my comments on opening day, we’ve seen the number of students participating in campus activities and events. I see that when I walk around campus and I see students gathered together and socializing or studying together or supporting each other academically,” Lepper said. “Those are all positive signs to me of community.”
Enrollment is not only important to the college’s finances but it also plays a vital part in the institution’s wellbeing. Lepper wants to keep both the retention rate and enrollment numbers up as they look forward to 2024.
“What I’ll say is to continue to grow our enrollment by new students but also part of my goal is to increase our retention rates of our students,” Lepper said. “It’s really a multifaceted approach. It can’t just be about bringing new students to GRCC, we also have to make sure that our students stay from semester one to semester two and from year one to year two and complete a credential or associate degree.”
Lepper added that the college is here to help support their education and to reach out if they need help.
“We are glad to have each and every one of our students here at GRCC. We are invested in their success, and we see their educational journey as a partnership. I would encourage students, particularly at the beginning of the semester, to not forget that we are here to support them and that they should ask for help when they need it,” Lepper said. “Our faculty are here to help support them, our staff is here to support them. We want our students to be successful.”
