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Middlesex Community College: State Funding Supports Equity Work At Mass. Community Colleges

The Supporting Urgent Community College Equity through Student Services (SUCCESS) Fund was created specifically for Massachusetts Commun ...

Caitlin Buckley

12/2/2021

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The Supporting Urgent Community College Equity through Student Services (SUCCESS) Fund was created specifically for Massachusetts Community Colleges to establish wraparound supports and services designed to improve outcomes for their students, particularly those from historically underrepresented backgrounds. The fund was established through a legislative appropriation of $7 million in the FY21 budget; an additional allocation of $10.5 million was received in the FY22 budget.

“The Massachusetts Community Colleges are grateful for the legislature’s investment in the SUCCESS Fund to support expanded student support services,” said Nate Mackinnon, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Association of Community Colleges. “By scaling up targeted – and proven – supports, like academic advising and peer mentoring, we believe this work will make a significant positive impact on our students’ success outcomes.”

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Middlesex received over $525,000 from the Mass. Association of Community Colleges and the Mass. Department of Higher Education as part of the SUCCESS Fund to increase persistence, retention and graduation rates for African American, LatinX and LGBTQ+ students. The college will be using these funds to create the MCC SUCCESS Scholar Program.

“Middlesex is thankful to the legislature for their support in funding the SUCCESS program that will directly benefit populations of students who need the services most,” said Phil Sisson, MCC’s President. “With the funding, we are able to adapt the resources and student support services that we have in place to make them more accessible and relevant to what these students need in order to be successful at the college and beyond.”

As a Scholar, students receive a holistic program of support during their time at MCC. The program is designed to assist students in navigating college and developing long-term success.

“We are working to increase the impact we’re making,” said Pamela Flaherty, MCC’s Associate Vice President for Student Affairs. “We can assess our programs and show that we have made a change with this money, allocating funds at the college right to direct service work. We’ll be able to increase the success for diverse students.”

When moving through their academic program, students will also learn how to manage the demands of higher education, pay for college, and plan for the future, according to Noreen McGinness Olson, MCC’s Assistant Dean of Student Success. They will also “have the opportunity to build relationships with fellow students of similar backgrounds and experiences who share like-minded interests, passions and academic goals,” McGinness Olson said.

Both Flaherty and McGinness Olson understand the difficulties students face in navigating college. Data and research – as well as the success of MCC’s peer-led Blackboard Ambassador and Supplemental Instruction programs – show that students do well learning from each other. All SUCCESS Scholars will be assigned a SUCCESS mentor who understands firsthand what it means to be a student and brings all of the resources MCC offers to the scholar.

An international student from Kenya and now living in Lowell, Davina Mwangi has been one of the SUCCESS Mentors during the Fall 2021semester. The Business Administration major is grateful for all of the support services she has received at the college and wants her classmates to know what is available to them. In addition to helping students, she is looking forward to honing her leadership skills and networking with others.

“I have met so many people from diverse backgrounds and have learned so many skills that are beneficial to me,” Mwangi said. “I would like to encourage students to use the services MCC has to offer as they equipped me to succeed in my education.”

With the SUCCESS Fund, scholars will not only have resources available, but gain a better sense of where and how to access them. Rather than establish a specific center or location for scholars to visit, the initiative focuses on having a person – whether it be a peer, alumni or faculty mentor – who the student can reach out to directly.

“Students get a lot of information in different places,” McGinness Olson said “But when they need it, they don’t always remember where to find it. The SUCCESS Fund provides a connection to a person who they feel comfortable with, can ask questions to, and get help navigating the college experience as new students.”

After being matched with a mentor and advisor, scholars will receive personalized support that will help them achieve their short- and long-term goals, including transferring to a four-year college and accessing their desired careers. Scholars will have access to workshops on resume writing, career fairs and employer panels.

Daniella Dankwa has been working as a Career Ambassador for the program. From Ghana, the Liberal Arts and Sciences major – and 2020-2021 Student Trustee – enjoys motivating students toward success. To do so, she recommends students take advantage of what is available to them at Middlesex. She is happy to be the link between the student and these resources.

“I want to learn and connect with a lot of professional as well as improve my personal and professional skills,” Dankwa said. “This program will guide students to identify useful career resources around campus, develop their resume and cover letters, and connect with potential employers on websites, such as LinkedIn and Handshake.”

Scholars will also receive assistance to fill out their Free Application for Financial Aid (FAFSA), take advantage of financial aid options and payment plans, and get tips on financial wellness. MCC is in the process of hiring a full-time Financial Wellness Coach and a full-time SUCCESS Coach dedicated to these offerings.

With this comprehensive program, the initiative will help Middlesex provide services to more students as well as opportunities to develop their own personal pathways to success. Many of the resources available to the SUCCESS Scholars already exist at the college and are being modified to meet their specific needs, according to Flaherty, who said, “Our students telling us what they need is going to be a big part of the work we do.”

“One of the things that these funds are going to allow us to do is to take the student support services we already do well and scale them up,” Flaherty said. “We’re finding new ways to eliminate barriers, measuring where our holes are, and making sure students have access to all the resources that will make them successful. It’s really looking at how effective we are in creating pathways for students to succeed and being responsive to their needs,”

With the funding, Middlesex is also hoping to increase awareness about diversity throughout the college. The SUCCESS Scholars program will develop cultural competency trainings for students and employees by bringing in local experts. MCC is also hiring diversity peer educators to facilitate dialogues around difficult conversations about race starting in Fall 2021.

“The program is for a population that needed representation and a sense of belonging,” McGinness Olson said. “Having mentors supporting you – peer, alumni or faculty – who have similar experiences, backgrounds and even barriers – makes getting an education more obtainable for students. We’re really excited about the program.”

To support the work of the SUCCESS Fund, the Mass. Community Colleges hired Lutful Khan to serve as the Senior Project Director. In this role, Khan will work with the 15 community colleges to oversee administration of the program and to support the individual campus projects. Additionally, in partnership with Middlesex President Phil Sisson, he will establish short- and long-term statewide professional development activities for the SUCCESS network.

“Lutful’s experience, strong communications skills, and clear commitment to improving student success outcomes make him the perfect fit for this role,” said Lane Glenn, President of Northern Essex Community College and Chair of the SUCCESS Steering Committee. “We’re excited to have him on board and know that the program, under his leadership, will make headway in closing equity gaps at our community colleges.”

For the past six years, Khan has served as the Program Coordinator, then Assistant Director of the City University of New York’s Accelerated Studies in Associate Programs (ASAP) Foster Care Initiative. Since 2012, he has also been an Adjunct Lecturer in Criminal Justice at the Borough of Manhattan Community College. Khan earned bachelor and master’s degrees from the City University of New York John Jay College of Criminal Justice.

For more information about MCC’s SUCCESS Fund, contact McGinness Olson at mcginnessn@middlesex.mass.edu or call 781-280-3591.

Registration for MCC’s WinterSession and Spring 2022 semester – starting on Monday, January 3 and Monday, January 24 – are now open. Visit www.middlesex.mass.edu/registration/ or call 1-800-818-3434 for more information and to register for classes.

The 15 Massachusetts Community Colleges offer unique opportunities for the local communities they are a part of. Each college provides open access to high quality and affordable academic programs. The Massachusetts Community Colleges are Bunker Hill, Bristol, Cape Cod, Berkshire, Greenfield, Holyoke, Massasoit, MassBay, Middlesex, Mount Wachusett, North Shore, Northern Essex, Quinsigamond, Roxbury, and Springfield Technical.

Discover your path at Middlesex Community College. As one of the largest, most comprehensive community colleges in Massachusetts, MCC has been a proven leader in education for more than 50 years. Middlesex puts the student first. Meeting each learner where they are, MCC provides them with a safe, welcoming and engaging place to learn. Offering more than 80 degree and certificate programs – plus hundreds of noncredit courses – Middlesex features flexible course formats and a variety of award-winning student support services and resources. Student success starts at MCC!


This press release was produced by the Middlesex Community College. The views expressed here are the author’s own.

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