ACC’s 5-Year Imperatives
Outcome-Focused Success
We measure learner success through educational and workforce outcomes, such as graduation, transfer, completion, job placement rates, employer satisfaction, and career advancement aligning with the job market.
Culture of Innovation
We nurture a culture of systematic innovation, encouraging new teaching practices, business processes, industry partnerships, and workforce-aligned program development.
Community-Driven Workforce Collaboration
We partner with industry and our community to design real-world learning opportunities that address regional workforce needs, strengthening the connection between education and economic development.
Solution-Focused Education
We promote continuous learning and up-skilling by creating flexible programs that meet the needs of learners, employers, and the broader community in a rapidly changing economy.
ACC Guiding Principles
We honor everyone’s unique starting point, offering personalized support to help individuals grow and achieve their goals. We actively recognize assumptions and foster meaningful connections by staying present, engaged, and open to courageous conversations.
We create an inclusive and welcoming environment where everyone is respected, included, and empowered to thrive. By removing barriers and embracing diverse perspectives with empathy and relationship preservation, we ensure equitable access to resources and foster a sense of belonging.
We collaborate across teams, disciplines, and the broader community to support shared goals. By fostering constructive, solution-oriented conversations and collaborative problem-solving, we build strong purpose-driven partnerships.
We uphold open, honest, and transparent communication and take responsibility for our actions through consistent, ethical, and compassionate behavior. By exemplifying grace, integrity, and respect for the dignity of all, we foster strong, trustworthy relationships within our community.
ACC Strategic Goals
Solution-Focused Education
Goal: Advance work-based learning and lifelong education through transfer pathways, micro-credentials, and targeted upskilling and reskilling opportunities.
- Embed work-based learning activities in every academic and career pathway, with documented and assessed outcomes and a minimum 90% completion rate.
- Increase adult learner enrollment by 25% and grow financial support for adult and part-time students by 50% to reduce barriers and improve access.
- Achieve a 5% increase in learner transfer rates and ensure 70% of upskilling learners achieve career advancement within one year.
Community-Driven Workforce Collaboration
Goal: Position ACC as a regional hub for workforce and economic development through strong, co-created partnerships with industry, government, and community organizations.
- Develop or redesign 10 academic or workforce programs in flexible formats aligned with labor market needs.
- Establish or expand 25 active partnerships with government agencies, regional employers, or community organizations that support program design, internships, or job placement.
- Increase student job placements or work-based learning experiences by 20%.
- Increase prior learning credit (PLA/CPL) awards, resulting in a 5% increase in total credits earned.
Culture of Innovation
Goal: Establish a scalable and repeatable innovation process to accelerate program development and partnership-driven solutions.
- Reduce program development time by 25% through streamlined and standardized processes by 2030.
- Pilot and scale 10 innovative programs or processes by 2030.
- Launch 5 new programs co-designed with industry partners by 2030.
Outcome-Focused Success
Goal: Improve learner persistence, completion, and post-graduation outcomes through targeted supports and workforce-aligned programs.
- Increase credential completion by 5% annually, using early momentum metrics (persistence and retention) as key performance indicators.
- Increase post-graduation earnings to close the gap toward the regional living wage.
- Raise the 3-year median wage for all graduates to move closer to the state living wage of $66,248.
- Ensure all ACC certificates and degrees demonstrate workforce relevance through transparent outcomes, supported by program review processes
ACC’s Value Proposition
Students will experience academic success and career achievement with personalized attention at ACC. ACC makes it possible for everyone to have access to higher education with individualized support, passionate faculty, and a welcoming environment. Our innovative programs utilize hands-on experiences to make learning come alive which enables our diverse community of students to develop the knowledge and skills they need to reach their goals.
- Easy to get to locations in Littleton, Castle Rock, Lone Tree, and online
- One-on-one support
- Affordable
- Recognized as a leader in Colorado education
ACC Equity Statement
We welcome and value the identities and experiences of our students, staff, faculty, and surrounding communities. We seek to engage and support historically marginalized groups whom higher education has traditionally failed to serve. We work to foster an equitable and inclusive learning and work environment that supports our students and employees through professional development, programming, reflection, and transformational change of ACC practices, procedures, services, and teaching. We collectively commit to holding ourselves accountable to our equity goals through assessing these efforts with multiple strategies that include voices of those impacted by this work.