Student success, retention and headcount were the topics of discussion during the Academic Senate Meeting at the Distance Education Center on Thursday, March 9.

Academic Senate President Kristie Daniel-DiGregorio asked professors and staff members about the strategies for student success.

“We planned on adding 200 sessions in winter to generate 800 FTES (Full Time Equivalent Students), to average 4 FTES per session and we actually wound up with 224 sessions with all at almost full enrollment and we earned 827 FTES,” Jean Shankweiler, vice president of academic affairs, said.

Shankweiler spoke about three main strategies at the meeting which were outreach to students, access getting to students and retentions.

There were 14 outreach counselors to work with the Centinela Valley Union High School District (CVUHSD), with a goal that all high school seniors from Lawndale, Hawthorne and Leuzinger would apply to El Camino so if they decide to go there they have a processed application already, Shankweiler added.

“Dual enrollment for high school campuses allowing High School Seniors to take El Camino classes,” Shankweiler said. “While the retention strategy includes an early alert pilot program that allows us to contact students, counselors and faculty all in one program and students can check their own progress towards their degree.”