Montcalm Community College selected for Phase 2 of Rural Guided Pathways Project
The college has been selected along with 27 others nationwide to take part in the second phase of the project, which seeks to institute reforms and initiatives to improve student success in rural areas.
Montcalm Community College has been selected to participate in Phase 2 of the Rural Guided Pathways Project. Twenty-eight colleges are participating in Phase 2, which will run from 2025 through 2027, and will give the colleges that participated in Phase 1 the opportunity to continue work on those projects, while collaborating with and providing support to other rural institutions.
According to the Rural Pathways website, the project “provides a deliberate venue for rural college practitioners to collaborate while they work to improve student outcomes,” and “gives rural colleges opportunities to work through challenging issues and collaborate with peer institutions, all in the context of a learning community that provides a broad range of supports.”
In an article on Montcalm Community College’s website, Dr. Bradley J. Barrick, the school’s president, commented on its participation in the project. He is quoted as saying, “We are committed to meeting every student where they are at and working alongside them to achieve their dream of higher education. MCC is honored to be one of only 28 colleges nationwide to be selected for this project. This opportunity builds upon the significant work we have already accomplished to enhance support for our students and our community. Our college is uniquely positioned to address critical economic challenges such as workforce shortages, access to higher education and economic development.”
As a participant in the project, Montcalm Community College will work to bolster the student experience by creating and implementing new plans, collaborate with community partners to increase regional economic opportunity, create opportunities for more students to earn credentials and enter into higher paying jobs, and work to address inequity.
Gretchen Schmidt, who is a senior fellow at the National Center for Inquiry & Improvement, the organization which provides project leadership for Rural Pathways, said, “We are excited to have Montcalm Community College participate in Rural Pathways. Rural institutions have not had many opportunities to problem-solve around the student success and completion issues that are particular to their culture, context, and capacity. By joining Rural Pathways, MCC is demonstrating its commitment to making lasting changes that will improve student outcomes.”
For more information about Montcalm Community College, visit the school’s website.