MOCAN – Missouri College & Career Attainment Network

Increasing equity in college and career for Missouri students

MOCAN

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

Centering Value in Postsecondary Education

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Postsecondary credentials are the proven path towards economic mobility, but recent polls show public perceptions of the value of postsecondary education are waning. Earlier this month, MOCAN hosted the “Centering Value in Postsecondary Education: An Action Agenda from the Postsecondary Value Commission” webinar in partnership with the Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP) to learn how institutions and other stakeholders can address student concerns.  

IHEP is a nonpartisan, nonprofit research, policy, and advocacy organization committed to promoting postsecondary access and success for all students, with a focus on students of color, students from low-income backgrounds, and other historically marginalized populations. Colleagues from across MOCAN’s three networks participated in the session led by Eleanor Eckerson Peters, Associate Director of Research and Policy and Janiel Santos, Research Analyst.  

According to the report of the national Postsecondary Value Commission, students experience postsecondary value when provided equitable access and support to complete quality, affordable credentials that offer economic mobility and prepare them to advance racial and economic justice in our society. There were three key takeaways shared by the presenters: 1) The equitable value movement is about fulfilling higher education’s promise; 2) Everyone has a critical role to play in delivering equitable postsecondary value; and 3) The equitable value movement is leading to tangible shifts in programs and policies. Postsecondary Equity Network (PEN) partners can access the recording and materials in the PEN Portal.