Green River College launches guided pathways "areas of interest" to streamline student choices

Dr. Suzanne Johnson said Green River College this spring launched a guided-pathways effort the college calls "areas of interest," designed to organize degree programs and certificates around student interests and show career pathways and earning potential.

"Guided pathways is really an organization of information that helps students identify their interests, and that tells them what course or class areas they might wanna look at," Johnson said. She said the initiative is part of a statewide effort among Washington's community and technical colleges and is supported by legislation that provides funding to organize programs around areas of interest.

Johnson described how the areas-of-interest pages on greenriver.edu link programs to careers and earnings and are intended to guide students from high school through college to transfer or employment. She also described campus supports: a student affairs welcome desk on the lower level and an adjacent career advising center where students can get individualized help, career inventories and tutoring referrals.

Johnson emphasized the college's support for nontraditional students and those who have never attended college, noting that many students return to college later in life and that Green River offers short-term certificates, two-year degrees and four-year BAS degrees. She also highlighted informal outreach such as monthly "pizza with the president" sessions as a way to surface student needs and feedback.

There was no formal decision or policy change made on the podcast; Johnson described the operational launch of the website resources and advising supports.