April 3 2025

Dear CT State Colleagues and Friends,

As we enter the final stretch of the academic year, I want to take a moment to thank each of you for the energy, focus, and perseverance you bring to our work every day. Whether in the classroom or behind the scenes, your efforts are what make CT State a place of purpose and progress. Together, we’ve achieved so much this year, and it’s because of your continued commitment that we keep moving forward. As we approach the final weeks of the semester, let’s continue to support one another and finish with our best foot forward.

Before going any further, I’m thrilled to share exciting news: Governor Ned Lamont has officially proclaimed April 2025 as Community College Month in the State of Connecticut!

This statewide recognition is a powerful testament to the vital role CT State plays in transforming lives, advancing equity, and fueling Connecticut’s future. As the largest public higher education institution in the state — and the largest community college in New England — we continue to provide affordable, high-quality education and workforce readiness programs to more than 65,000 students each year.

CT State is proud to be part of the national network of community colleges whose open admissions mission enrolls nearly half of the country’s undergraduates and serves the most underrepresented student populations in the United States. We remain responsive to the local needs of communities, ensuring that our programs and partnerships directly reflect and support the aspirations of those we serve.

Our proud institution remains resolute when it comes to serving our students, employees, and communities. The continued onslaught of developments at the federal level has left many of our students and employees concerned, fearful and unsure about what lies ahead. As one college and a community of people, we will rally, remain steadfast with our values and overcome these challenges together.

April will be a time to shine a light on the strength and impact of our community —and especially the collective contributions of our CT State campuses across Connecticut. I invite you to take pride in this moment and join me in celebrating the work we do together to uplift students, communities, and our state. As we mark this moment, I’m also pleased to share some additional updates and announcements that reflect the momentum we’re building together.

Annual Report
I am proud to share our 2023–2024 Annual Report, marking a historic first year as a unified institution. As our first full academic year as a statewide college, it represents not only important milestones but also the collective commitment, innovation, and resilience of our students, faculty, and staff. This report offers a snapshot of the impact we are making across the state as we work to expand access, foster student success, and build a stronger future for all. I encourage you to give our inaugural report a read as we are preparing to strengthen its content for year two.

Advanced Manufacturing
Last week, we officially opened the new Advanced Manufacturing Technology Center at CT State Tunxis with a celebratory ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by Governor Ned Lamont, legislators, college leaders, Regents, and regional manufacturing partners.

The opening of this center marks the culmination of years of hard work and collaboration. I commend our dedicated employees who saw this project through to completion despite the challenges along the way.

This newly renovated facility — now the second largest among CT State’s manufacturing centers — adds more than 14,000 square feet of space dedicated to advanced manufacturing machine technology and customized workforce training. CT State is Connecticut’s leader in advanced manufacturing training and access. This milestone reflects our college’s unwavering commitment to preparing students for rewarding careers while fueling economic growth across Connecticut. Congratulations to all who helped bring this vision to life!

April 2025 NECHE Focused Visit
We continue to make important progress toward securing full accreditation from the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE) by 2028. The next step in this process is a NECHE Focused Visit across our college, taking place April 6–9.

The Focused Evaluation Report that we submitted to NECHE serves as a comprehensive update on the institution’s progress since its initial accreditation in June 2023. This report addresses specific areas highlighted by NECHE for the Spring 2025 focused evaluation, marking the first formal review since CT State’s formation.

The primary objectives of the report are to provide detailed insights into the following areas:

• Alignment & Completion of Math and English (ACME)
• Assessment of Teaching and Learning
• Dual Enrollment Plans and Strategy
• Deficit Mitigation Plans and Enrollment Goals
• Strategic Plan Implementation
• Governance Processes and Procedures
• Student Success Metrics

This evaluation is a critical self-assessment tool for CT State, facilitating the identification of achievements and areas requiring attention as the college continues to evolve as a unified institution. The report underscores CT State’s commitment to transparency, continuous improvement, and responsiveness to NECHE’s accreditation standards.

Each campus will host evaluators for a half-day visit, during which they will meet with faculty, staff, students, and leadership. Your Presidents/CEOs have been working on the specific schedule for your campuses, and I appreciate their partnership and leadership in helping us organize a complex visit. Thank you all for your support, engagement, and professionalism as we welcome the NECHE visiting team.

Retention and Graduation Rates
CT State students are persisting at higher rates than most two-year, open-enrollment public colleges in the region. One-year retention is at a five-year high — 65% for full-time, 46% for part-time, and 57% overall — leading New England’s community college systems and matching or exceeding peers in the Mid-Atlantic. Fall 2023–24 persistence surpassed last year’s record, and the most recent fall-to-spring retention rose to 76% overall and 87% for first-time, full-time students — both one point higher than the previous year.

CT State’s IPEDS 3-year graduation rate reached 25% this year — the highest ever recorded for Connecticut’s combined legacy community colleges since IPEDS data collection began in 1997. This marks a 10-point increase and a 67% jump over the past two years.

These outcomes reflect the dedication of our students, faculty and staff — and affirm CT State’s growing impact in transforming lives through education. Many thanks to our Office of Institutional Effectiveness and Planning, led by Dr. J.D. Mathewson, and our Directors of Institutional Research for enabling us to better tell our story. Additionally, we recognize the litany of diverse methods we must adopt to demonstrate student success and will continue to identify those quantitative and qualitative methods.

Even amid internal and external challenges — and a national landscape that remains unclear in several respects — you have continued to advance our important mission. Let’s keep lifting one another up and finish the semester with the same spirit and commitment that have brought us this far.

Soon, the most powerful reminder of our work will come as we watch our talented graduates cross the stage at commencement.

In partnership,

O. John Maduko, M.D. 
President  
Connecticut State Community College