Lake Michigan College
Since Lake Michigan College (LMC) transformed their advising program through more comprehensive data tracking, the rates of persistence for advised students have risen above the persistence rates for the overall cohort.
After joining Achieving the Dream, the advising program at LMC transitioned to a case management model and implemented a database wherein advisors can track educational planning, progress, and interventions over time.
- Through this management tool, instructors are easily able to inform advisors of students’ performance and attendance. Advisors then follow up with students to recommend support resources.
- These new procedures are helping LMC create clear academic plans and pathways that facilitate the success of its students. Students in advising have had term-to-term and year-to year persistence rates that are higher than the overall cohort rates.
LMC has four campuses in the southwest corner of Michigan. In Fall 2009, 4,690 students enrolled in LMC; 68% were white, 18% African American, and 4% Hispanic. In 2009-2010, 39% of all undergraduates received Pell grants.
LMC offers some unique academic opportunities. A 50-acre natural area on the Napier Avenue Campus serves as a science learning lab and a wildlife sanctuary. Partnerships with Siena Heights University and Western Michigan University-Southwest provide access to bachelor and master degree programs on the LMC campuses.
In order to better coordinate their student success agenda, LMC formed a college-wide Student Success Steering Council. The Council includes representatives from faculty, student services, workforce development, administration and the Student Senate.
LMC has made significant progress in the use of evidence to guide planning and decision-making. The following are examples of strategies to increase student success:
- Math & Snacks provides students an opportunity to work with math instructors twice weekly in an informal setting
- The Developmental English Revision combined the advanced levels of developmental reading and writing to increase critical thinking content and reduce the number of developmental requirements
- BIO 101 Supplemental Learning Activities such as office hours in the lab, mybiologylab.com, and recitation sessions have helped improve success in this gateway course
- An Education Summit is part of the curriculum’s alignment between the secondary and post-secondary sectors
The Achieving the Dream Model
Achieving the Dream community colleges commit to our Student-Centered Model of Institutional Improvement. Based on four principles, the model frames the overall work of helping more students, particularly low- income students and students of color, stay in school and earn a college certificate or degree.
Each college approaches the work differently, but Achieving the Dream’s five-step process provides practical guidelines for keeping the focus where it belongs and building momentum over time. Throughout the process, Achieving the Dream coaches offer customized support and help each college’s core team implement data-informed programs and policies that build long-term, institution-wide commitment to student success.
