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Riverland Community College has been selected by Achieving the Dream (ATD), a national, leading higher education reform network of more than 300 community colleges across the country, to be part of its second Accelerating Equitable Outcomes initiative.

 As one of seven Accelerating Equitable Outcomes colleges in this cohort, Riverland will join the ATD Network of more than 300 community colleges nationwide. College leaders will actively engage in the cohort as a community of practice, sharing their strategies and learning as they seek to serve rural communities in innovative, evidence-based ways.

“We are thrilled to be selected as one of ATD’s rural-serving cohorts,” said Riverland President, Kat Linaker. “The work we do with ATD over the next three years will align perfectly with our Equity 2030 goals to close educational equity gaps across race and ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and geographic location by the end of the decade. Riverland is committed to give every enrolled student the best opportunity for success.”

The cohort brings these colleges together with ATD coaches and subject matter experts in a three-year engagement to focus on deepening their analyses of data to better understand their students’ needs, increasing institutional capacity, deploying dynamic student supports for both inside and outside the classroom, and developing an action plan to continue and sustain their student success work. 

Riverland, along with fellow cohort colleges and eight other institutions new to the ATD Network, will convene for ATD’s Kickoff Institute, an annual event to welcome incoming Network colleges, which will be held this year from June 12 to 14 in New Orleans. The Kickoff will set the stage for the colleges’ partnerships with ATD and introduce them to the organization’s Institutional Capacity Framework, a comprehensive assessment built on essential capacities that help colleges develop a student-centered culture and enhance student success.

ATD is a partner and champion of more than 300 community colleges across the country. Drawing on expert coaches, groundbreaking programs, and national peer network, the organization provides institutions with integrated, tailored support for every aspect of their work — from foundational capacities such as leadership, data, and equity to intentional strategies for supporting students holistically, building K–12 partnerships, and more. ATD calls this Whole College Transformation.