Contributor Written by Greg Hardesty
Life can be like a box of chocolates.
So is the data, says Nga Pham, executive director of district research, planning and institutional effectiveness for the Rancho Santiago Community College District.
“You never know what you’re going to get until you bite into it,” Pham said.
When it comes to data processing, Mr. Pham has been reviewing RSCCD information for nearly 35 years, including 24 years as head of the RPIE office.
She got her start in the community college district nearly 40 years ago when she was a student at Santa Ana College. During that time, she worked part-time as a financial aid advisor for freshmen.
At the time, Santiago Canyon College, the area’s second university, was just a two-building Orange satellite campus of Santa Ana College. SCC became an independently accredited college in January 2000.
evolving needs
Mr. Pham’s long history with the school district makes him an ideal go-to person for faculty, administrators, and others who need to stay informed of local and regional economic and social trends. .
Our main goal is to continue to offer you the most ideal combination of courses. Pham and her team’s focus includes high school enrollment, employment trends, housing income, and more.
Pham and his staff also work with research directors from the district’s two universities to prepare accountability reports to ensure the district complies with state regulations. Masu.
This group meets monthly to assess what data is needed and how it should be used.
The work of Ms. Pham and her colleagues is necessary to fulfill the district’s mission to provide high-quality educational programs and services that meet the needs of the district’s diverse students and community, stakeholders whose needs are constantly evolving.
“Data is complex, not just quantitative data, but information in general,” Pham said. “That’s why it’s so important to examine all the data and share it with everyone so they can make the best, most informed decisions.”
From student to administrator
After the fall of Saigon in April 1975, Pham and several relatives in Vietnam immigrated to the United States when she was 7 years old.
After deciding that her originally planned career as a doctor was not for her, she enrolled in general education classes at Santa Ana College.
She developed an interest in business and eventually majored in finance.
Pham then transferred to California State University, Fullerton in 1987 and graduated two years later with a degree in business administration.
By this time, she had been working part-time in the university district for several years.
After a short stint in the banking industry, Pham began working full-time in the RSCCD research department in January 1990.
Four years later, she earned a master’s degree in public administration from California State University, Fullerton.
pull out numbers
Pham has risen through the ranks of the RSCCD research department to the top, where her responsibilities include designing, implementing and coordinating course and program evaluations and developing templates for use by faculty.
For example, suppose an instructor wants to track students who enroll in classes to see how they progress at a community college.
Pham and her colleagues can pull the numbers.
“One of the goals of our office is to help administrators answer their questions,” she said. Build visual dashboards of data that deans and faculty can analyze. ”
Many community college students juggle work and even their own families. Some people drop out of class and come back. Many of them come from difficult backgrounds with limited financial and other resources.
Pham and her team can, for example, look at the data to see which students are returning to Santa Ana College or Santiago Canyon College and how they are doing.
One interesting fact: Studies show that students are more likely to succeed if they take English and math during their first year.
“They’re more focused,” Pham said. “If they don’t have the focus, it’s hard. If you just let them ‘hang out’ in college, they won’t be successful. Community college is a big journey with lots of opportunities. ”
long term plan
Pham’s department is nearing completion of the district’s eight-year roadmap to ensure courses and subjects offered are aligned with RSCCD and state goals.
For example, artificial intelligence and STEM classes are becoming more popular, Pham said. The manufacturing industry is also making a comeback.
Pham loves the variety of her job.
“We come to work every day thinking we’ll get something done, but we rarely do because data requests come to us all the time,” she said. “But the diversity of what we do is what makes our work interesting. I think data is interesting. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been involved as long as I have. ”
Pham knows his work is essential to RSCCD’s mission.
“I truly believe that what my team and I are doing here has an impact on student outcomes,” she said.
