On June 4, the Detroit Drives Degrees Community College Collaborative (D3C3) hosted a Student Success meeting at Monroe County Community College (MCCC), convening representatives from Henry Ford College, Macomb Community College, Monroe County Community College, Oakland Community College, Schoolcraft College, St. Clair County Community College, Washtenaw Community College, and Wayne County Community College District. Jermain Pipkins, Assistant Vice Chancellor of Student Success at Dallas College, delivered a keynote address on the transformative impact of academic advising for community college students.
Following the keynote, college teams participated in concurrent sessions facilitated by Change by Degrees:
- “Demonstrating Success in Student Success: Connecting Vision, Plans, and Outcomes for Leaders” – Participants refined their ability to articulate their change initiative’s vision and objectives, define their theory of change, identify key milestones and measurable outcomes, and establish practical methods for tracking and communicating progress.
- “Listening to Advisors: A Dialogue About What Advisors and Other Frontline Staff Need During Periods of Change” – Advisors shared their experiences and explored the resources, support, and information necessary to effectively navigate and contribute to ongoing improvements.
College partners presented the progress of their student success strategies. Some highlights include:
Monroe County Community College
- College Advocates are changing relationships with MCCC’s K-12 partners, allowing opportunities for all Monroe County k-12 schools to have college advocates on their campuses
- Husky QuickStart automatic admission program expanded to four Monroe County schools, increasing the percentage of students attending MCCC in Fall 2025
- Improved CRM processes allow for more effective early alerts to proactively work with students and keep them on track to earn credits and graduate
Henry Ford College
- Implemented an academic advising onboarding program which provides a structured path of success for advisors
- Transformed the Academic Advising and Student Success Office to create a unified identity
- Expanded advising workforce to provide more support to students
- In 2024, 95 percent of students reported that all their questions were answered after meeting with their advisor
Oakland Community College
- Implemented a system which allows faculty to enter early alerts for students directly into the CRM, ASC, and CNS to follow up with students that need support.
- Improved coordinated care for students by documenting all student service appointments and student interactions in CRM Advise
- Updated Student Planner to include program maps where students can plan their courses efficiently, becoming a key interaction in academic advising appointments
In the next steps, the colleges will be working with Change by Degrees to commit to project charters to further advance their student success efforts.