Northland Pioneer College is the nation’s top producer of Certificates of Proficiency awarded to Native American students, nearly doubling the number of awardees from the 2012–13 to 2013–14 academic years.
A recent analysis of 2013–14 academic year data from more than 1,600 community colleges by the national publication Community College Weekly showed that NPC issued 108 certificates to Native Americans, up from 55 the previous year.
NPC is also ranked 35th in the nation in the number of associate degrees awarded to Native Americans, up from 89th the previous year, after also more than doubling degree completers. NPC’s totals for both certificates and degrees to Native Americans exceeded those from much larger public and private two- and four-year higher education institutions.
At the 2016 Commencement ceremony in May, NPC awarded a record 391 Certificates of Proficiency, 82 Certificates of Applied Science, and 203 associate degrees.
“This demonstrates NPC’s commitment to encouraging all students to reach their educational goals,” said NPC President Dr. Jeanne Swarthout. “We recognize the many outside pressures — family, economic and transportation — that have traditionally kept our students from completing their certificates or degrees and are initiating programs to help overcome some of those obstacles.”