Cerritos College Named Finalist for Prestigious Bellwether Award

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 17, 2017

Media Contact: Aya Abelon, Public Affairs; (562) 653-7878 

NORWALK, Calif. – November 17, 2017 – Cerritos College is one of 10 community colleges in the nation selected as a finalist for the 2018 Bellwether Award. The College’s California Promise Program Cerritos Complete was among the top 10 finalists in the Planning, Governance & Finance category.

The annual honor is given to colleges with outstanding and innovative programs or practices.  “We are thrilled to be recognized as a finalist for the prestigious Bellwether Award,” said Dr. Jose Fierro, president/superintendent, Cerritos College. “Cerritos Complete offers students more than the promise of a free education. It also gives students access to critical support services that helps increase completion rates and degree attainment in less time.”

Cerritos Complete began as a pilot through the College’s K-16 Bridge program in 2015 with a cohort of 262 students. Cerritos Complete was officially established as the College’s California Promise Program in 2016 with more than 1,500 student participants from the College’s local high schools, to date. The program is a student success initiative to increase degree completion rates and reduce time to graduation while lowering the number of excess units completed. The program provides local high school students with a merit-based scholarship that covers tuition for one year.

The Bellwether Award is sponsored by the Institute of Higher Education at the University of Florida, and focuses on cutting-edge, trendsetting programs.

The College will be presenting the Cerritos Complete program at the Community College Futures Assembly in Orlando, Florida January 28-30, 2018. 

About Cerritos College: Cerritos College serves as a comprehensive community college for southeastern Los Angeles County. Communities within the college’s district include Artesia, Bellflower, Cerritos, Downey, Hawaiian Gardens, La Mirada, Norwalk, and portions of Bell Gardens, Lakewood, Long Beach, Santa Fe Springs and South Gate. Cerritos College offers degrees and certificates in more than 180 areas of study in nine divisions. Annually, more than 1,200 students successfully complete their course of studies, and enrollment currently averages 23,000 students. Visit Cerritos College online at www.cerritos.edu.

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