All of our undertakings in the first 100 days are in support of our mission: student success. Our students are the "why" for every decision we make at MDC. I met with student leaders from our eight campuses during my campus visits and virtual town halls to hear from them and inform our actions. I heard their aspirations and walked away with ideas on how we can reimagine the student experience, supporting them, their friends and their families for success in the classroom and beyond.

“I am so inspired by our students’ determination and by the resolve of our faculty and staff to support their journey. And, as many of you acknowledged, we have work to do to ensure that every student has what they need from us.”

This means streamlining processes and providing personalized communications, augmenting learning modalities and strategically utilizing scholarships for recruitment and retention. We must continue to deliver virtual student support services to help students navigate their college experience, offer real-time support and connect them with resources.

The new MDC LIVE (Learning Interactively in a Virtual Environment) now provides synchronous courses with all of the benefits of face-to-face instruction in a live, remote setting. This modality, along with MDC Online, in-person and blended courses, gives students learning options to fit their individual needs. We want every student to feel like they belong and to find the pathway that will set them up for success.

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought new focus on supporting college students’ basic needs to improve their success obtaining degrees. As MDC shifted to remote learning, many of our students found themselves needing technology support and help with basic needs. Supporting our students by addressing food and housing insecurity will be important, so that our most vulnerable enrollees can stay in school and complete their studies.

Learning from students and informed through by data, together, we will reimagine a more personalized student experience that recognizes and supports students’ academic success, personal well-being and professional goals.