The national nonprofit organization Complete College America (CCA) has partnered with the Association of College and University Educators (ACUE) to offer a faculty training program to faculty at four historically or predominately Black community colleges: Lawson State Community College in Birmingham, Alabama; Coahoma Community College in Clarksdale, Mississippi; Baton Rouge Community College in Louisiana; and Delgado Community College in New Orleans, Louisiana.
A cohort of faculty at these four colleges will complete a comprehensive course to earn ACUE’s Effective Teaching certification, which provides faculty with practical strategies to improve student grades, completion, and retention. Additionally, all faculty and staff at the participating institutions will have access to ACUE Commons, a community of practice offering continued learning and endorsements on timely topics, such as AI for higher education, workforce readiness, civic and social engagement, and holistic student support.
“Effective faculty are one of the most critical levers we have for fulfilling the promise of college completion. They’re the ones building connection, creating momentum, and supporting learners every day in the classroom,” said Yolanda Watson Spiva, CCA president. “Unlike many of the structural or financial barriers to completion, teaching is something institutions can directly invest in, strengthen, and improve at scale. But that requires moving beyond one-off workshops and optional professional development. It means giving faculty the coaching, curriculum, credentials, and community they need to continually strengthen their teaching practice and ensure that more students can achieve their full education and career potential.”
Throughout the partnership, CCA and ACUE will track faculty engagement and progress toward certification, and evaluate the impact of effective teaching practices on faculty across participating institutions.
“Teaching quality is not separate from the completion conversation — it is central to it,” said Andrew Hermalyn, ACUE chairman and CEO. “Research shows that how faculty teach can influence whether students succeed in their courses, persist from one term to the next, and ultimately complete a degree. But teaching excellence requires sustained, evidence-based professional learning. This initiative will give institutions a way to make that kind of faculty development part of the everyday work of improving student success.”
