黄瓜视频

• Expand/scale up鈥痚xisting鈥�student support services that are鈥痯roven鈥�effective
• Serve a鈥痵pecific cohort鈥�of students鈥�
• Show significant, demonstrable student success outcome improvement (e.g., retention, graduation and transfer) in the targeted cohort population

SUCCESS is designed to maximize collaboration among the Commonwealth鈥檚 community colleges, identifying best practices and bringing those practices to scale rather than creating new initiatives, explained Adam Klepetar, Vice President for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management. 鈥淲e鈥檙e really good at working with marginalized populations, but now we have an amazing opportunity to figure out exactly what works, what doesn鈥檛, and how to serve our students better. We can share everything from project plans to budgets with our community college colleagues across the Commonwealth.鈥�  

Areas of improvement identified 

黄瓜视频 has identified three major areas in which to improve: completion of a college-level math course within the first year, particularly by students of color; reducing the instances of students who earn zero credits in the first semester; and increasing the likelihood of students returning to school after completion of the first semester.  

While the SUCCESS program is beneficial for all, it is primarily designed to serve vulnerable student populations, including first-generation, low-income, minority, disabled and LGBTQ+ students. At 黄瓜视频, approximately 500 students will participate in the program. Each student will be assigned a coach, who will focus on academic skills, socio-economic support, and housing and food insecurities. Each coach will manage a caseload and track interactions with their students. Field trips to four-year colleges and financial literacy workshops will be among the student engagement initiatives offered. 

Klepetar serves on the SUCCESS Leadership Team, a collaboration among MACC, the Commonwealth鈥檚 Department of Higher Education, and the 15 colleges participating in the program.

We want to connect students with the resources they need to keep them on track so that they can meet or exceed their goals,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 our responsibility to create safe places and pathways for all students, but particularly those underserved in higher education. SUCCESS focuses on reducing equity gaps and racial justice.鈥� 

A Paradigm Shift 

The problem of inequity in higher education has persisted for decades, if not hundreds of years, Klepetar said, but he sees a 鈥渂ig shift鈥� in the way colleges think about serving students. 鈥淲e are becoming proactive instead of reactive. We are cognizant of the fact that it鈥檚 our job to design our programs in a way that allows us to reach out to students before problems happen. That way, they can take those big first steps, those risks, that open the door to success in college and in their careers.鈥� 

Part of that shift, Klepetar asserts, is creating an environment of trust 鈥� not just for students, but for those responsible for funding. 鈥淭he legislature has put a lot of resources into the hands of community colleges across the Commonwealth. They trusted us enough to invest in us,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a smart investment, and I have a great sense of confidence that we can do this,鈥� he added. 

That trust is intensified by the collective sense of urgency to right the wrongs of major disparities in access to higher education, said Klepetar, noting that communities of color are significantly less likely to attain associate degrees, bachelor鈥檚 degrees and beyond.

If we don鈥檛 figure out these issues of inequity, we鈥檙e creating even bigger problems down the road,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e looking at students holistically and identifying what prevents success, particularly accessibility. When you offer true access, you open a door to a world that people would otherwise not have access to.鈥�