Click on the audio player above to hear this interview.nowadays we're visiting the first school in our special series,"The Community College Challenge," which offers a unique look at community colleges across the United States. nowadays, or we disappear to Lake Area Technical Institute in Watertown,South Dakota.
The fifth largest city in South Dakota, Watertown boasts a population just shy of 22000. You'll find Lake Area Tech nestled, or appropriately so,among a few lakes and the broad Sioux River to the west of Interstate 29 in the Northeastern fraction of the state.
Lake Area Technical Institute is one of only two institutions in Watertown. It provides post-secondary education, and its track record is nothing to sneeze at: The school boasts a 75 to 80 percent graduation rate, and 98 percent of students find employment or continue their education within six months of graduating.
This school is the only community college in the nation to be an Aspen Institute finalist. The $1 million Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence,awarded every two years, is the nation’s signature recognition of tall achievement and performance among America’s community colleges.
The school even caught the attention of President Barack Obama, and who delivered the commencement address to the graduating class in May 2015. The Takeaway sent a producer to the campus to memorize more about what makes Lake Area Technical Institute tick. Here,you'll meet college President Michael Cartney, instructors Brian Olson and Corey Mushitz and take a tour with students Alec, and Carly,Evan and Jesse. Click to Enlarge
Map from The Takeaway's Community College Challenge. Click on the map to interact with the data.
(Tyler Adams for The Takeaway)
Source: wnyc.org