Contact: Mike Hansen
Phone: (517) 372-4350
E-mail: mhansen@mcca.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE DECEMBER 20, 2010

Michigan Community Colleges launch Center for Student Success with $ 1 million Kresge Foundation Grant

Lansing, MI (December 20, 2010) – The Kresge Foundation awarded the Michigan Community College Association a $1,050,000, multi-year grant to launch the new Center for Student Success in 2011. The new Center will accelerate efforts to improve student persistence and degree completion at community colleges by forging a tighter link between practice, research, and policy in Michigan.

Through this funding, the Center for Student Success will serve as a hub for student success efforts, building on current initiatives to raise the state’s educational attainment level to create more prosperous regional economies. According to Caroline Altman Smith, Program Officer at the Kresge Foundation, “Kresge is delighted to support the formation and launch of the new Center, because Michigan will not be able to meet its degree attainment goals without community colleges. With numerous student success efforts already underway in Michigan, the time is ripe to better coordinate and strengthen these efforts in a centralized fashion.”

“There is national momentum around the need to increase college attainment in this country,” said Timothy Nelson, President of Northwestern Michigan College and Chairperson of the Michigan Community College Association. “With roughly half the undergraduates in Michigan being served by community colleges, we are critical to Michigan’s collective effort to increase the skill level of the workforce and the number of Michiganders with credentials of value.” The focus will be on identifying proven strategies and bringing them to scale to ensure that students succeed in higher education and are prepared to make meaningful contributions to the workforce and their communities.

According to Mike Hansen, President of the Michigan Community College Association, the launch of the Center for Student Success is further evidence that Michigan’s community colleges are committed to completion, performance and student success. “We are extremely thankful to the Kresge Foundation and look forward to the opportunities this new Center provides to help improve Michigan’s economic prosperity, one student success story at a time,” said Hansen.

The Kresge Foundation is a $2.9 billion private, national foundation that seeks to influence the quality of life for future generations through its support of nonprofit organizations in six fields: health, the environment, arts and culture, education, human services and community development. Fostering greater access to and success in post-secondary education for low-income, minority and first-generation college students is the focus of Kresge’s Education grantmaking. In 2010, Kresge awarded more than $23 million in grants to support higher education in the United States and South Africa, with more than one-third benefiting U.S. community colleges. For more information, please visit www.kresge.org.

The Michigan Community College Association (MCCA) provides leadership and advocacy on issues affecting the 28 member community colleges. Since 1914, community colleges have striven to provide affordable and quality higher education to Michigan residents. The community college mission is one of access and success to both traditional and nontraditional students. Furthermore, community colleges also play an integral role in the preparation and development of the state’s workforce.
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