Westwood College Leadership Committed to Ongoing Educational Improvements; Upward Trend Outpaces Four‐Year Private Colleges Nationwide
DENVER (April 30, 2009) – Westwood College today announced that its students are more satisfied with their college experience than their counterparts in a comparison group of almost 125 private four‐year colleges and universities. The independent student survey was performed by Noel‐Levitz, a nationally recognized consulting firm specializing in higher education research and strategic planning. The results show that students from Westwood’s 17 campuses gave Westwood especially high scores in the areas of faculty quality, curriculum content and instructional effectiveness. Further, Westwood’s online students were significantly more satisfied than the comparison group of 87 national online campuses in the areas of student services, academic services and instructional services.
Some of the private four‐year colleges and universities that participated in the survey include Colorado Technical University, Hawaii Pacific University, Concordia University and Eckerd College. Examples of national online colleges that participated are Colorado State University, Minnesota State College, University of Illinois, University of Houston and American InterContinental University.
“Such significant improvement in all areas of the survey is a strong achievement for Westwood College,” said Julie Bryant, associate vice president of retention solutions at Noel‐Levitz. “Westwood’s improvement over the last two years reflects their commitment to continuous quality improvement.”
Every two years Westwood participates in this survey that measures student satisfaction on a wide range of topics, such as the level of student centeredness, academic advising effectiveness and instructional effectiveness. In 2010, positive student feedback for Westwood College not only outpaced median scores compared to the other colleges involved in the survey, but also demonstrated marked improvements over prior years.
“Positive student responses indicate a healthy, upward trend for Westwood College and while we’re thrilled with the continuous upward trend in our students’ responses, we will not rest on our laurels,” said Dr. Eric Goodman, Westwood chief academic officer. “We’ll continue to work with our campuses to build on our strengths and continue our plans to turn opportunities into new positives for our students.”
Following the 2008 survey, Westwood College’s faculty and staff on each campus developed plans to improve the student experience. Among those initiatives were:
- Program enhancements – current and relevant curricula updates to keep pace with the changing job markets
- Employer relationship managers – dedicated resources focused on building Westwood’s relationships with employers and identifying immediate career opportunities for students and graduates.
“It’s obvious that Westwood has taken the results to heart. If a school is not using this data to make changes, their scores tend to stay the same or drop,” said Noel‐Levitz’s Bryant. “Westwood’s improvement is a reflection of how serious the college takes the survey results. Students know and understand this by their responses.”
About Westwood College
Westwood College is an institution of higher learning with 17 campuses across the country, as well as a top‐ranked online school. Westwood offers a unique hands‐on, career‐focused curriculum providing three‐year bachelor’s degrees in in‐demand fields. More than 20,000 Westwood graduates have transformed their lives by obtaining the skills, tools, experience and connections necessary to achieve meaningful careers. Westwood College is accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC) and the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS), depending on the campus. Westwood is also a candidate for regional accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.