The grant will help fund a number of ongoing initiatives
WEST WINDSOR -- Mercer County Community College has received a five-year, $2.25 million gramt from the U.S. Department of Education to improve student services, bolster student performance and increase opportunities for success after graduation.
"This federal funding will enable Mercer to enhance services to students and to make the dream of a college education more attainable for the thousands of students who attend classes there each year," U.S. Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-12th Dist.) said.
MCCC was the state's only community college to receive a Title III grant, which are awarded to colleges and universities to help improve and strengthen academic quality, institutional management and fiscal stability.
The college will use the funds to implement a series of student service initiatives that began more than a year ago.
These include:
- Investing in new technology, including mobile access, e-advising and text message reminders to students;
- Guaranteed student class schedules through a new wait-list system for classes;
- The addition of student success coaches and retention specialists;
- Summer tutoring programs to reduce the number of students needing developmental classes;
- Advanced use of data to better track student progress;
- Dedicated one-on-one advisors to keep students on track to graduate on time and achieve their goals; and
- Providing academic and career guidance from admission through graduation
"This is part of a much broader effort by all faculty and staff members across the college to enhance our systems, resources, and technology to achieve student success," MCCC President Jianping Wang said. "This grant will enhance our ability to implement innovations that will provide service to our students when they need it, how they need it, and where they need it."
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