Gray Associates Launches New Community College Resources for Academic Program Evaluation and Management

Programs are offered free of charge, as part of Gray's continued commitment to the growth and success of the higher education community. 

CONCORD, Mass., July 12, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- GRAY Associates today announces the launch of two new services designed exclusively for community colleges: a monthly webcast on markets for academic programs, including student and employer demand trends, and an academic program evaluation and management Boot Camp focused on associate and certificate programs. 

The monthly webinars will share student demand and employer trends for all associate and certificate programs. Student demand data will include Google search volumes by month and National Student Clearinghouse enrollment data (which updates three times per year).  It will cover overall trends and changes in demand for the ten largest and the ten fastest growing academic programs.  The webinar will also cover job posting trends for the ten largest and fastest growing occupations.  In addition to occupations, it will take a deep dive into one program each month, exploring student demand, employment, and competition.

The free four-part Boot Camp will teach participants how to make better-informed and more effective academic program decisions. It will describe the required data, software, and management processes that enable community colleges to pick the right associate and certificate programs. It will also describe the process and participants needed to make and implement decisions with institution-wide support.

Expert instructors in the Community Colleges Boot Camp include Mike Voss, Dean of Instruction, Maricopa Community College system; Olivia Padilla-Jackson, Vice President of Finance and Operations, Central New Mexico Community College; Andrew Dorsey, President Emeritus, Front Range Community College; Karen Hines, Assistant Dean of Academic Affairs, Berkshire Community College; and Robert Gray Atkins, author of Start, Stop, Grow: A Data-Informed Approach to Academic Program Evaluation and Management, and founder of Gray Associates. 

Mr. Atkins says, "Community colleges face some unique challenges, but also a good deal of opportunity. They can no longer rely solely on labor market data suppliers to make informed decisions, but they need a complete program evaluation system.  In particular, they need more and better data on student demand so they can attract more students and begin to grow again. Gray's new Community Colleges Boot Camp and Community Colleges Demand Trend webinar will provide the broader data and insights to help them do just that."

Gray helps colleges and universities make data-informed decisions about their academic programs.  Gray's software integrates the best available data on academic program economics, student demand, employer needs, and competitive intensity for the precise market served by each institution. Faculty and administrative leaders use the software to score, rank, and evaluate programs in a collaborative process that builds consensus on programs to start, sunset, sustain, or grow. With Gray's tools and processes, institutions identify paths to increase enrollment, revenue, and efficiency, while investing in their mission and strengthening relationships among faculty and administrators.

Press Contact:
Jackie Lucas
Vera Voce Communication
978-255-1159
[email protected]

SOURCE Gray Associates