Unlocking Opportunity

Enrollment Reimagined
Student-centered college
Community engagement and partnerships

Ten community colleges in the U.S. sharing ideas
Develop new/improve existing program models
Advising focused on increased/diversified access to high-value programs

Thousands more students — inclusive of students of color and those from lower-income backgrounds — enter and complete programs leading directly to jobs paying a family-sustaining wage or to the completion of a bachelor's degree.

What is Unlocking Opportunity?

With student success as its guide and an eye on programs leading directly to jobs paying a family-sustaining wage or to the completion of a bachelor's degree, UnlockingOpportunity: The Post-Graduation Success and Equity Network boldly focuses on excellence and equity in post-completion outcomes and post-graduation success. Launched by the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program (Aspen) and its partners at the Community College Research Center (CCRC), this first-of-its-kind initiative reflects the next wave of the community college student success movement.

MCC is one of ten community colleges nationwide selected and the only one in New York to participate in this initiative.

MCC’s efforts in Unlocking Opportunity build on the collective goals we established in Vision2027.

The network runs from 2023 through 2028, with a three-year hands-on period followed by three years of monitoring and research.

Our Unlocking Opportunity Priorities

Improving Outcomes in Gateway English and Math at MCC

Gateway English and math courses are among the first credit-bearing courses students will attempt in a pathway or program of study. Completing these courses is essential and a strong indicator of a student’s ability to graduate. This is why we are investing heavily in supporting faculty and staff in their work to improve gateway English and math curriculum development, teaching, student assessment, learning support, and placement.

INTEGRATED ADVISING MODEL REDESIGN

Under this model, all matriculated students meet with a dedicated advisor to receive intentional, holistic advisement connecting them to resources on and off campus. Increasing the frequency and quality of these meetings can improve a student’s chance of reaching their academic, career, and transfer goals.

Our redesigned Integrated Advising Model promises to support all students—regardless of program, pathway, need, or time of year.
As we pivot from planning to implementation, we look forward to employing a range of practices and structures, including inescapable advising for first-year students and regular proactive student outreach. This will result in improved outcomes and accelerate their pace towards completion.
We are hiring and onboarding several Student Success Coaches who will join their peers as the backbone of our caseload management advising model. This will create a more consistent and seamless advising experience for students—particularly in the summer when faculty are off contract.

Implementation will occur in phases to ensure that each element supports our students effectively.

PROGRAM MAPPING FOR IMPROVED POST-GRADUATION OUTCOMES

Program Mapping is essential to help guide students to their destination. Our Program Mapping work focuses on MCC's program assessment process, advisory board procedures and outcomes, student onboarding procedures from initial contact, presentation of program information on the website, and transfer processes, including a review of 2+2 programs.

We are now on poised to enter the implementation phase of this initiative, which includes:

Improving the mapping process
Reframing Student Experiences in Early Connections to Onboarding
Updating MCC’s Program Information Webpages
Refocusing MCC’s Transfer Operations and 2+2 Programs

TIMELINE FOR UNLOCKING OPPORTUNITY

February 7, 2023 — MCC named one of 10 community colleges selected for Unlocking Opportunity: The Post-Graduation Success & Equity Network. In addition to the President, the MCC team will be led by Dr. Robin Cole Jr., Vice President, Economic Development, Workforce & Career Technical Education, and will include:

Gretchen Wood, Vice President, Institutional Advancement and Executive Director, MCC Foundation - Communications Lead
Dr. William Dixon, Director, Institutional Research - Data Lead
Dr. Margaret Semmer, Provost & Vice President, Academic & Student Affairs
Kris Sine-Kinz, Chief of Staff, Economic Development, Workforce & Career Technical Education
Dr. Michael Jacobs, Dean, Humanities & Social Sciences
Kelsey Bright, Assistant to the Provost & Vice President, Academic & Student Affairs
Michelle Mayo, Director, Career Services
Kim DeLardge, Director, Academic & Student Affairs
Gary Johnson, AVP, Student Success & Strategic Initiatives

December 18, 2023 — Unlocking Opportunity Information Session held. Hosted by President Burt-Nanna and the UO Planning Committee, it provided an update on their collective work.

Unlocking Opportunity Priorities selected in consultation with our stakeholders and an Opportunity Coach:

Improving outcomes in Gateway English and Math at MCC
Integrated Advising Model Redesign
Program mapping for improved post-graduation outcomes

Unlocking Opportunity Committee Members selected:

Gateway English & Math Success Co-Chairs: Dr. Mike Jacobs, Gary Johnson, and Margaret Kaminsky
Gateway English & Math Workgroup: Eric Berg, April Daniels, Mark Ernsthausen, Matt Fox, Catherine Ganze-Smith, Dr. Mike Jacobs, Gary Johnson, Angelique Johnston, Margaret Kaminsky, Sarah Pantaleo, Medea Rambish, Christy Woods
Advising Reimagined Co-Chairs: Gary Johnson, Holly Wynn-Preische
Advising Reimagined Workgroup: Becky Babcock, Sheila Banks-Manns, Rick Costanza, Kim DeLardge, Renee Dimino, Jennifer Hill, Rebecca Horwitz, Michelle Mayo, Ray Otto, Jordan Rapp, Marisol Reyes, Julie Slate, Dana Voldan-Curry
Program Mapping Co-Chairs: Kelsey Bright, Margaret Kaminsky
Program Mapping Workgroup: Jann Avery, Renee Dimino, Tracey Graney, Sarah Hagreen, Dr. Mike Jacobs, Jennifer Kinslow, Dino Laurey, Rebecca Mack

January 29, 2024 — The second Unlocking Opportunity Information Session was held. This event provided an update on their collective work and presentations from the committees focusing on gateway courses, advising, and program mapping.

May 9, 2024 — The following updates were provided:

Improved Success in Gateway English and Mathematics:

English and TRS-English faculty are collaboratively developing a professional learning institute on enhanced course design and delivery for ALP and College Composition. The institute will focus on asset-based and equity-driven curriculum, pedagogies, and assessment strategies for ALP and “stand-alone” ENG-101.
The Department of Mathematics has significantly increased the number of Fall 2024 co-requisite class sections for two of its highest-enrolled gateway courses.
Mathematics and TRS-Mathematics faculty are in the early stages of developing their own professional learning institute on enhanced course design and delivery of gateway math courses, which will take place in the Summer of 2025.

Learning Support:

ASA, in partnership with the Office of Institutional Research, is in the preliminary stages of developing a comprehensive assessment of the Tutoring & Academic Assistance Center (TAAC). Scheduled to begin in Fall 2024, the project will help identify and scale effective practices in the TAAC while mitigating the impact of gaps in service.

Advising Redesign:

The Advising Redesign plan largely focuses on resources and new positions to bolster a proactive, caseload-oriented advising model. The Division of Academic and Student Affairs will soon begin the first phase of implementation, which includes search and hiring processes for new advising professionals.

June 13, 2024 — The following updates were provided:

Advising Redesign Progress:

Excited to hire new advising professionals in the near future. These positions, which include a Transfer Coordinator and Student Success Coaches, are critical to our plan for supporting student success.
Members of Enrollment Management and the Student Success & Strategic Initiatives areas are developing improved processes for strengthening the student onboarding experience and streamlining student placement, ultimately reducing procedural gaps.
This summer, a team will attend the National Academic Advising Association (NACADA) Institute for Academic Advising. There, they will engage in professional learning and further develop the new model's strategies and outcomes.

Tutoring and Academic Assistance Center (TAAC) Assessment

Academic and Student Affairs is in the early stages of building a team to lead our 2024-2025 assessment of the TAAC—specifically in terms of student success outcomes for gateway English and math courses.

Continued Efforts in Gateway English and Math Courses

The Summer English Professional Development Institute, scheduled for June 27 and 28, served as a kick-off for twenty individual faculty participants and department-wide reflective practice groups—slated to meet throughout the fall and spring semesters—to develop asset-based and equity-driven curriculum, pedagogies, and assessment strategies for corequisite and “stand-alone” ENG-101 courses.
MCC’s Mathematics Department’s participation in the SUNY Launch Years Initiative aimed to strengthen the relationship between high schools and colleges by expanding efforts to engage high schools and promote concurrent enrollment, align high school courses with college pathways, and ensure a smooth transition to college-level mathematics. Additionally, a separate Math Professional Development Institute was scheduled for the following June to further support these initiatives.

September 30, 2024 — Unlocking Opportunity Implementation Team Announced

Co-Chair: Dr. Michael Jacobs, Provost and VP ASA
Co-Chair: Dr. Robin Cole, VP CTE/EDIWS
Strategy Integration Ambassador: Dr. Candice Baldwin, Chief of Staff to the President
Institutional Research and Data Lead: Dr. William Dixon, Director IR
CTE/EDIWS Representative: Kris Sine-Kinz, Chief of Staff to VP CTE/EDIWS
Primary Lead, Integrated Advising Redesign: Gary Johnson, AVP SSSI
Primary Lead, Gateway English and Math Success: Christy Woods, Acting Dean STEM/Health
Primary Lead, Program Mapping: Kelsey Bright, AVP AA
Communications Lead, Ex Officio Member: Gretchen Wood, VP Institutional Advancement

2026-2028: The final three years will include continued monitoring and research by CCRC and Aspen and the release of publicly accessible tools, case studies, and reports to share the lessons with the field.

Tribune Articles on Unlocking Opportunity

For questions, please email the Office of the President