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A national survey of community colleges confirmed an abysmal level of student satisfaction at Western Dakota Tech.

“Students felt like they were getting the runaround,” said Debbie Toms, WDT student success director.

In 2012, WDT placed in the eighth percentile among peers on a question of student satisfaction with academic services on the National Community College Benchmark Project survey, meaning 92 percent of schools did better. Only a willful disregard for student concerns could have guaranteed anything worse.

Something had to give, said Jill Elder, WDT admissions and financial aid director.

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Debbie Toms, Student Success Director, left, and Jill Elder, Admissions and Financial Aid Director, right, recently traveled to Washington, D.C., where they were invited to present "Student Satisfaction with Service Excellence" at the Convening of Minority Serving Community Colleges.

Western Dakota Tech was selected to present at the Minority Serving Community Colleges: Celebrating Student Success convening, being held today and tomorrow in Washington, DC.

“It’s an honor for Western Dakota Tech to present at this event and I’m proud of the work we’ve done to help students succeed,” Dr. Ann Bolman, President of Western Dakota Tech, said. “We have some exciting initiatives to share.”

Western Dakota Tech's high student satisfaction scores, in conjunction with its significant Native American enrollment rate, is garnering it national academic attention. The college has been chosen to present at the Minority Serving Community Colleges: Celebrating Student Success convening, in Washington, D.C., Nov. 14-15.

The event is an opportunity for minority-serving colleges across the country to share best practices related to student success and will feature speakers from the U.S. Department of Education, U.S. Department of Labor, and Jovita Carranza, Treasurer of the United States.

Three students graduated from Western Dakota Tech's Professional Truck Driving Program on Oct. 20. The graduation ceremony took place through the Corporate Education Center, a division of Western Dakota Tech. Graduates, all of Rapid City, included: Nicolas Cabrera, Genevieve Maynard, and John Paulin.