(COLUMBIA, Tenn. - Jan. 17, 2017) - - - Columbia State Community College has been selected as a finalist in the Community College Futures Assembly Bellwether Awards.

Columbia State submitted "Participate, Lead, Succeed: Building a Bridge to Graduation" to the Bellwether Awards in the instructional program and services category. The project was based on the Columbia State President's Leadership Society, which targets Columbia State students early in their college career to help lay a foundation for success and serves as a graduation pipeline.

"It's an honor to receive the distinction of being one of the 10 finalists in our category," said Cady Denton, Columbia State student leadership coordinator. "This highlights what we are doing to develop and retain our students at Columbia State - it gives us the opportunity to learn from and network with other colleges that have received nods for their strides toward student success."

The Bellwether Awards highlights programs that community colleges have implemented that are worthy of replicating at other institutions.

Dr. Janet F. Smith, Columbia State president, and Dr. Shanna Jackson, Columbia State associate vice president for the Williamson Campus, will present Columbia State's PLS program at the 2017 CCFA conference Jan. 30.

"Being a finalist for this award shows Columbia State's dedication to students," said Smith. "I look forward to seeing more programs like this form at Columbia State. I appreciate the students that are involved with this program - this is designed for student success and we love seeing our students with a passion to succeed."

PLS is a free training program focused on helping students develop and apply their unique leadership skills through workshops, campus life, community service, developing civic understanding and other activities.

The Community College Futures Assembly convenes annually as an independent national policy forum for key opinion leaders to work as a "think tank" in identifying critical issues facing the future of community colleges, and to recognize Bellwether Finalist colleges as trend-setting institutions. To learn more about the CCFA, visit http://futures.education.ufl.edu/.

The Bellwether College Consortium promotes effective postsecondary programs for replication at higher education institutions across the nation, and actively positions colleges to pursue various funding opportunities. The Consortium also provides a platform for its members to collaborate on potential joint ventures while having access to educational thought leaders. To learn more about the Bellwether College Consortium, visit https://education.ufl.edu/bellwether/.

Video Caption: Columbia State's President's Leadership Society Bellwether Awards submission video.

Columbia State is a two-year college, serving a nine-county area in southern Middle Tennessee with locations in Columbia, Franklin, Lawrenceburg, Lewisburg and Clifton. As Tennessee's first community college, Columbia State is committed to increasing access and enhancing diversity at all five campuses. Columbia State is a member of the Tennessee Board of Regents, one of the largest higher education systems in the nation. For more information, please visit www.ColumbiaState.edu.

Tennessee's Community Colleges is a system of 13 colleges offering a high-quality, affordable, convenient and personal education to prepare students to achieve their educational and career goals in two years or less. We offer associate degree and certificate programs, workforce development programs and transfer pathways to four-year degrees. For more information, please visit us online at tncommunitycolleges.org.

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