Recognizing the economic challenges our students increasingly face, MCC established a strong portfolio of student financial assistance programs that can go above and beyond traditional financial aid, helping students overcome the hurdles they face starting college and those they confront on the journey to completion. They include:
Save for Success: MCC has been awarded a second $200,000 grant from the US Department of Health and Human Services to support our
Save for Success program; we’re one of only two community colleges to be awarded this grant. Save for Success provides an $8 to $1 multiplier for low-income student savings--for a combined total of up to $3,000. Students accepted into the program receive financial education, counseling, and fee-free accounts from our partners at ESL Federal Credit Union. The goal of Save for Success is not just to build college savings; it is to incentivize longer term goal setting and sound financial management practices that will help students succeed in college and beyond. MCC's partners with PathStone (grant one) and Hillside Work-Scholarship Connection (grant two) on recruitment and case management. Thanks to the investment from the Department of Health and Human Services and local philanthropy, we will be able to expand our program from 113 to 226 participants. Dean of Students Ann Topping leads Save for Success.
Scholarships Online: Since 2009, the MCC Foundation has increased the number of scholarship funds by almost 54% and the dollars awarded by almost 81%.
In the past academic year, it transferred well over $1 million in scholarship dollars to the College. But, the Foundation knew it had to make it easier for students to find and apply for funds.
Scholarships Online provides a web-based tool to access the increasing number of available awards, identifying everything from application deadlines to student qualifications. Because students can access this information anywhere, anytime, the online portal has increased the number of applicants and assured all scholarships are matched to students. Thanks to the MCC Association for helping to fund the Scholarships Online system.
Dreamkeepers: Too often, immediate and temporary financial emergencies keep students from persisting toward their dreams of college degrees.
MCC’s Dreamkeepers program provides micro-grants of less than $500 to qualifying students to assure that they keep moving forward. The program works: of the students who received Dreamkeeper awards last year, over 95% completed the semester, with some even graduating and moving on to employment or transfer. The average grant to students was less than $300. It paid a utility bill, bought a new tire, covered childcare, or funded a grocery store gift card. Three hundred dollars may not seem like much, but it is more than enough to stop a student in her tracks or convince a student he might as well drop out. Now, they have a better choice. Director Peggy Harvey-Lee oversees Dreamkeepers and …
Single Stop: Because of all they are juggling along with their MCC classes, our students sometimes do not apply for much needed community resources, services, and assistance. Accessing them requires time, transportation, and the patience and self-advocacy skills needed to navigate a maze of social services. The
Single Stop at our downtown campus connects our students (and their immediate family members) to programs that can provide assistance with food benefits, transportation, child care, health care, and tax preparation. In their work with other community colleges, Single Stop has found that—on average—students are leaving over $5,000 worth of support on the table. This is aid that could help them meet daily living expenses, stay in their classes, and graduate MCC. All services provided in our Single Stop office are free, confidential, and centralized in one office at the Damon City Campus to offer fast, personalized assistance.
Both Dreamkeepers and Single Stop, like all the programs identified here, are supported by the incredible work of the MCC Foundation and the inspiring generosity of our expanding community of donors—all of whom believe as strongly in our students’ potential and possibilities as you do.
The above list of programs is not exhaustive. For example, it does not include the innovative efforts by faculty to grow MCC’s Open Educational Resources, which in one course alone saved students well over $300,000. It does, however, capture the depth of our College’s commitment to removing the financial barriers that our students confront every day. I encourage you to let your students know about these important and impactful programs designed to help them attend and achieve at MCC.
I also encourage you to share your thoughts on the
blog.