MOCAN – Missouri College & Career Attainment Network

Increasing equity in college and career for Missouri students

Laura Winter

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/

Purpose First: Increasing Equity in Career Preparation for Missouri Students

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MOCAN’s Postsecondary Equity Network (PEN) is excited to launch an innovative three-year initiative to eliminate equity gaps in degree completion and increase career preparation for students of color and students from low-income backgrounds.

The Purpose First initiative kicks off with a summer institute with Complete College America (CCA) on June 10th. At the institute, CCA will train teams from Missouri’s 2-year and 4-year institutions on CCA’s Purpose First model.

Providing clear information and career guidance early in student onboarding is critical. Integrated career and academic advising throughout a student’s degree program leads to fewer changes in major, fewer lost credits, and less risk of students stopping out with no degree.

The initiative with CCA will specifically focus on using the Purpose First model to support BILPOC students and those from low-income backgrounds.

Colleges participating in the institute will be invited to apply for three years of additional support, including CCA coaching and mini-grants to integrate career and academic advising.

Registration is open through June 3rd.

Promoting Institutional Transformation through Racial Healing

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MOCAN is honored to be the first nonprofit organization accepted to participate in the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U)’s Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation (TRHT) Campus Center Institute.

TRHT Centers prepare the next generation of strategic leaders and critical thinkers to promote racial healing. TRHT catalyzes efforts to address current inequities grounded in notions of a racial hierarchy. The W.K. Kellogg Foundation developed the TRHT model to address the historical and contemporary impacts of race and racism within communities.

A team including Postsecondary Equity Network (PEN) colleagues from 2-year and 4-year institutions will participate in the Institute in June. They will design a process for PEN institutions to work collectively on changing the narratives and practices that perpetuate racial inequities and actions on their campuses and in their communities.

The Power of State Networks

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Listen to MOCAN Executive Director Laura Winter speak on the power of state networks for the Lumina Foundation podcast, “Today’s Students, Tomorrow’s Talent”. Other guests include colleagues from Michigan College Access Network and Alabama Possible. Laura shares MOCAN’s equity-minded strategy for increasing postsecondary credential completion. Listen to “Today’s Students, Tomorrow’s Talent” podcast. Talent Hub’s Director, Dakota Pawlicki, conducted the interview.