Mid Michigan Community College receives $1.9 million federal grant
Mid Michigan Community College will receive over $1.9 million to help address student and institutional needs.
The Title III grant will be dispersed to the college over the next five years and is designed to enhance student advising, developmental math and career advising, said an MMCC press release. The grant will also improve financial aid literacy and encourage the use of educational development plans.
“For example, students will be assigned specific advisers who will guide them through their program of study,” said Matt Miller, executive director of college advancement. “Using an educational plan, students will clarify their goals and the steps needed to achieve those goals.”
Miller said MMCC was one of four community colleges in the state to receive the grant. Concordia University Ann Arbor, Jackson Community College and Kirtland Community College also received the grant.
The grant is very competitive, Miller said.
MMCC submitted a good proposal and was hopeful, Miller said, but no schools know if they will get the grant until the notifications are sent out.
“The application is quite intense,” he said. “Even with a basic foundation of information in place, our grant team works long hours for weeks to complete the application.
Of the 38 community colleges in Michigan, MMCC receives the least revenue per student contact hour, according to the press release. Contact hours are the hours faculty and staff spend with students inside and outside the classroom.
As state 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 fall 2000 to 5,252 students in fall 2010.
“This is a historic moment for MMCC and our students,” said 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’s local millage revenues are also the lowest in the state.
“The grant comes at a time when we have record enrollment and imminent shortfalls in state and local funding,” Miller said. “With the Title III funding, we can now implement those services and programs to support student success.”
