-1.svg){kind=logo}
Student Success has come to mean a variety of different things. A favorable contender for a Jeopardy category, the term is considered an ambiguous catch-all for getting students to the finish line of their degrees and all of the factors that influence that trajectory. Talk to a Dean, Provost or President and few will tell you that retention rates and graduation rates are their only metrics for success. We asked some of our community college partners to share their view of student success, the strategies that help them gain a deeper understanding of their students, and how those insights inform the work they do at their institution.
Read on to learn more about some of our two-year partnerships and the institutional missions that led us to collaborate.
Hartnell College | Sinclair Community College | Glendale Community College
Hartnell College
“For Hartnell College, student success is defined by students’ awareness of the needs of their communities and civic engagement, ability to contribute to their chosen profession, and strong sense of self and purpose.”
About Hartnell College’s Salinas Valley Promise Program:
Hartnell College has been partnering with Mentor Collective for four years (and counting!) and is one of Mentor Collective’s two-year programs with a paid peer mentor model to encourage participation and support the financial concerns of students wanting to share their time. Students participating in last year’s program have reported increases in sense of belonging and academic self-efficacy, and early-alert Flags logged by mentors have been helpful for students needing further information on financial aid, academic support, and emotional health management.
What best practices are you implementing at Hartnell that give you a greater understanding of the student experience?
Dr. Nereida Oliva, Professor and Mentor Coordinator: Hartnell College practices a “students first” philosophy to better meet the needs of students through access, learning, development, achievement, leadership, and success. The college works collaboratively to ensure that students have a strong sense of belonging on campus and works to find innovative ways to support students through the various emotional and social expectations of higher education.
Flexible course schedules, support programs, financial aid, student leadership opportunities, internship support, mental health services are supported by talented faculty and staff. Mentor Collective is a mechanism in that ecosystem to connect students with those resources and services in a way that aligns with their everyday life.
Many of our students are “on the go,” and through Mentor Collective, they are able to connect with their peers, stay connected to the college, and receive the support they need to accomplish their academic and professional goals.
What have you learned about your students? How does that inform institutional strategy?
Dr. Gabriela Lopez, Director of Student Equity Programs: We strive to establish and build relationships with students to learn more about what type of support they need from the college. Student personal experiences guide and inform institutional efforts as a means of eliminating barriers and opening opportunities.
Hartnell College students are brilliant creators and holders of knowledge. We understand that students have various roles, responsibilities, and interests. It’s important for the college to place an emphasis on those and create welcoming and supportive spaces that help every student thrive.
Sinclair Community College
“Student success for Sinclair College means that students are supported in defining and achieving their goals; academic, career, and personal.”
About the Sinclair Student Success Program:
Sinclair Community College launched its pilot Mentor Collective program in fall 2022 with the goal of reaching students that had the greatest opportunities to flourish with the additional peer support. Collaborating with the school’s institutional research team, students who had the most to gain academically were identified and recruited before general recruitment took place. Initial learnings from the program show how helpful peer-logged, early-alert Flags have been in identifying priority student needs, allowing academic advisors and specific campus offices the ability to connect with students more efficiently.
What best practices are you implementing at Sinclair that give you a greater understanding of the student experience?
Karla Knepper, Director of Academic Advising: Sinclair regularly surveys students to assess their needs and satisfaction with the student experience. We do this through email surveys, facilitated focus groups, and point-of-service surveys.
Students have shared that they are having more challenges in recent years, and we hope the peer connections made through Mentor Collective can support students' social and emotional needs and support more rich and real-time referrals. We know there are growing challenges with student mental wellness, and social connectedness is an important part of student mental health. Mentor Collective is one important piece of the support offered.
The State of Higher Education 2022 report from Gallup highlighted how students dropping out of college are citing mental health as a factor twice as often as the pandemic and the cost of college. A Mentor Collective study of early-alert Flags also confirms this specifically with community college students.
What have you learned about your students? How does that inform institutional strategy?
Karla Knepper, Director of Academic Advising: We have learned that our students are balancing so many competing demands to succeed. Often, it's not the academic challenges that lead to lack of persistence, it is life that gets in the way. Using this knowledge, Sinclair continues to explore ways to offer more holistic support to our students.
Glendale Community College
All quotes are from the collective GGC team consisting of:
- Genesis Toole, Ph.D., Dean of Student Life
- Abreanna Autote, Student Services Specialist and Peer Success Coach
- Cristian Peter Loera, Student Services Specialist and Peer Success Coach
- Luis Fragoso, Program Coordinator
“Glendale defines student success broadly as retention and degree/certificate completion, but sees student engagement as a bridge to achieving those goals. We know students who are engaged socially and academically are more likely to persist, and so we look to traditional metrics as a benchmark, but rely on engagement to guide student success on an individual level.”
About Glendale Community College’s EXCEL Student Success Program:
Glendale Community College’s Mentor Collective program is a collaboration between Student Life and Advising. Launching this academic year, it has nearly 750 students participating as mentees and 13 paid peer coaches. This term was developed exclusively for this program as part of GCC’s commitment to workforce and professional development. Peer coaches in the first term have been supporting their mentees with time/task management techniques, referring students to their advisors to assess their degree progress, and have provided the institution with alerts when students need additional academic or emotional support. Mid-program surveys show that both mentees and peer coaches currently feel a stronger sense of belonging to the institution compared to when the program started.
What best practices are you implementing at Glendale that give you a greater understanding of the student experience?
GGC: We developed The Peer Success Coach Program to add more value and support to our student population with goals of connecting to engage; referring to retain; and coaching to achieve.
In partnership with Mentor Collective, students are matched with our Peer Success Coaches who are ready to listen, inspire, help navigate challenges, and recognize opportunities. On our campus, success coaching is for everyone; new students and continuing students preparing to enter the workforce, or transfer to a university. Peer Success Coaches add value to a student’s time at GCC by providing opportunities for personal development and connecting them with the campus community in a virtual or physical setting.
What have you learned about your students? How does that inform institutional strategy?
GGC: We’ve learned that students respond well to personable interactions with faculty and staff and feel more supported and successful in their endeavors after those interactions. Students experience hardships unrelated to academics and also need support outside of the classroom to be successful in their educational pursuits. Our efforts have extended beyond academic support because of all we’re learning about the experiences and responsibilities students bring with them to GCC.
Learn more about how Mentor Collective supports two-year missions and institutional strategies by contacting our support team or watching our most recent two-year partner impact event with Onondaga Community College.