MOCAN – Missouri College & Career Attainment Network

Increasing equity in college and career for Missouri students

Laura Winter

MOCAN’s Response: Supreme Court Rejects Student Loan Forgiveness

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If we needed a reminder that the higher education system is inequitable and in need of reform, the U.S. Supreme Court delivered it this week. Today’s decision rejecting President Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan is insult to the injury caused by yesterday’s decision effectively ending affirmative action in college admissions.

Approximately 40 million people would have benefitted from student loan forgiveness. People who are struggling financially, postponing investments like buying a house or saving for retirement. Disproportionately, these are also people of color.

Today’s ruling underscores the need to prioritize making postsecondary education affordable for low-income students and BILPOC students, those who can most benefit from the economic stability and social mobility a degree brings.

A Missouri college graduate with a Bachelor’s degree earns about $27,000 more per year than a peer with a high school diploma. That same student, however, borrows an average of $24,000 to pay for that Bachelor’s degree. Students need and deserve a path to an affordable college degree, one that doesn’t come with substantial debt.  

LGBTQ Student Scholarship Resources

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To mark Pride Month, MOCAN is highlighting scholarship opportunities and a college search resource for LGBTQ students.

In Missouri, the Courage Scholarship is a state-wide scholarship program. There are multiple scholarships offered each year including the Missouri Courage Award, Trans Courage Award, Rural Courage Award, and the Pay It Forward Award. The scholarships are open to students who identify as LGBTQ or who have demonstrated commitment to advancing the lives of LGBTQ people and other social justice causes. The application opens in December is due by March 1. Awards range from $500-$2,000.  You can learn more at https://www.courage-scholarship.org/.

University of Missouri Columbia and University of Missouri Kansas City both offer scholarships to enrolled LGBTQ students. Missouri State University’s Inclusive Excellence Scholarship includes LGBTQ students.

Nationally, the Point Foundation offers scholarships to high school seniors and current college students. Applications open in October and close in December.  The Stonewall Community Foundation has multiple programs with applications available in the spring. Male students can apply for scholarships from the Gamma Mu Foundation.

Campus Pride is a national, online search tool for LGBTQ students in the college search process. Campus Pride can also provide LGBTQ students with information about resources on campuses.

MOCAN’s Response: Supreme Court Ends Affirmative Action in Higher Education

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Today’s Supreme Court decision eliminating race as a factor in college admissions does not end diversity on our college campuses. Thousands of Black and brown students are already enrolled in Missouri colleges and universities. In fact, the work of Postsecondary Equity Network institutions to become inclusive campuses where BILPOC students are welcomed, celebrated, and supported to graduation remains as critical as ever.  

What cannot happen as a result of this decision, is the abandonment of efforts to connect Black and brown young adults to postsecondary education and the economic stability and social mobility that comes with a college degree. Colleges, universities, and community-based organizations must work together to ensure BILPOC students are nurtured as scholars, and have opportunities to enroll in and complete a college program that meets their career aspirations.  

Our commitment to equity is not derailed. It is reaffirmed.  

Making Community College Navigation Easier through Guided Pathways

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“Students bring innate talent and drive, but colleges unwittingly stifle them in so many ways.” – Dr. Davis Jenkins, Senior Research Scholar at the Community College Research Center, Columbia University

Inspiring students and motivating them to completion was the focus of the recent MOCAN Guided Pathways Summer Institute held in partnership with Complete College America and Missouri Community College Association.

Guided Pathways is a movement to streamline the student experience in college, providing structured support, clear communications, and career opportunities. When implemented holistically, guided pathways shows strong results in completion, including for BILPOC students.

Among the takeaways:

  • The key is more effectively building relationships – with students, and with colleagues across institutional departments.
  • Guided pathways is a cultural shift. It’s critical to have faculty working with staff.
  • Breaking down institutional jargon is essential. Start with a student-friendly website.
  • Students are focused on the end goal. They don’t want a lot of choices, they want options aligned with their career pathway but we have to structure them that way.
  • Advisers need to be intentional in their career conversations, integrating academics and opportunities for work experience.
  • There is opportunity to align career pathways at community colleges with the career clusters used in K-12 schools. There is also opportunity to connect students with registered youth apprenticeships.
  • This is iterative work; there is no end point.

Special thanks to our presenters and planning committee:

  • Nikolas Huot, Complete College America
  • Dr. Davis Jenkins, Community College Research Center
  • David Hewkin, Missouri Dept. of Higher Education & Workforce Development
  • Dr. Perry Gorrell, Missouri Dept. of Elementary & Secondary Education
  • Dr. Feleccia Moore-Davis, St. Louis Community College
  • Dr. Robyn Walter, East Central College
  • Dr. Drew Wilkerson, Metropolitan Community College
  • Dr. Devin Miles, St. Charles Community College

Higher Education = Higher Earnings

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How do we make postsecondary education more affordable for Missouri students?

In February, MOCAN convened colleagues in its Network of Networks to develop priorities for increasing affordability for Missouri students. This month we are convening school counselors, college/career advisers, higher education professionals, scholarship providers, and partners to talk about affordability and share our draft plan. We know implementing the strategies will require all of us working together!

Plan components include:

  1. Ensuring Missouri is ready for the new Better FAFSA – coming this December!
  2. Helping students identify a best financial fit earlier in the postsecondary planning process, starting in 9th grade
  3. Preventing financial aid award displacement so students benefit fully from the scholarships they receive
  4. Educating scholarship providers and donors on student financial aid gaps so they can better meet student needs
  5. Promoting the value of postsecondary education as an investment in your future self

A postsecondary credential is the surest path to economic mobility, but first we need to make sure Missouri students can afford it. We are honored to work alongside our partners!

Career Pathways & Apprenticeship Showcase Saturday, April 22nd in Sikeston!

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Recent and soon-to-be high school graduates, adults looking for new career opportunities, and students in grades 6 through 12 are invited to a FREE Career Pathways & Apprenticeship Showcase event on Saturday, April 22nd from 9 AM to 1 PM at the Sikeston Campus of Southeast Missouri State University, 2401 N. Main Street, Sikeston, Missouri, 63801.

The Career Pathways & Apprenticeship Showcase is a great opportunity for youth and adults to discover a variety of career-connected opportunities for education and training beyond high school.

Regional employers and training programs will be on site with hands-on demonstrations and information about career-oriented employment and training for high school graduates in fields including welding, catering, public safety, manufacturing, and more.

Participation is free and open to the public. Families and school counselors are encouraged to attend with their students.

The Career Pathways & Apprenticeship Showcase is hosted by the Missouri College & Career Attainment Network (MOCAN) in partnership with Southeast Missouri State University – Sikeston Campus, Sikeston Regional Chamber and Area Economic Development Corporation, Sikeston Career & Technology Center, Cape Girardeau Chamber, Cape Girardeau Career & Technology Center, Mineral Area College, Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Missouri College Advising Corps, Special School District of St. Louis County, and Missouri Department of Elementary & Secondary Education.

More information can be found at https://mocollegecareer.org/showcase/