Over the next five years,
Mid Michigan Community College will be the recipient of a $1,969,043 grant thanks to the U.S. Department of Education. The college, located in Harrison, was one of 48 higher education institutions in the country to be awarded one of the Title III grants. The money will be used to help the colleges address student and institutional needs that have been identified through an institutional planning initiative.
"This is a historic moment for MMCC and our students," says Carol Churchill, president of MMCC. "These grants are significant not because of the dollar amount, but because they allow us to take a fresh look at how we serve students and then provide the resources to take those services to an entirely new level."
The college is looking broadly at the needs of students and at strategies to improve success. MMCC plans to closely align student services with academic support services to more effectively assist students, who will be assigned specific advisers who will guide them through their program of study. Using an educational development plan, students will clarify their goals and the steps needed to achieve those goals.
"This grant comes at a time when we have record enrollment and imminent shortfalls in state and local funding," Churchill says. "With Title III funding, we can now implement those services and programs proven to support student success.
Of the 28 community colleges in Michigan, MMCC receives the lowest amount of revenue per contact hour equated student -- a measure that compares colleges on an "apples-to-apples" basis. The college's local millage revenues are also the lowest in the state.
As funding per student has decreased, enrollment has increased. Over the last 10 years, the number of students attending MMCC has grown 122 percent -- from 2,371 students in the fall of 2000 to 5,252 students this fall.
Writer: Sam EgglestonSource: Carol Churchill, MMCC
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