Middlesex Community College to Strengthen the Pathway to a College Degree
Middletown, Conn. (Oct. 12, 2019) — Middlesex Community College has been selected to join Degrees When Due, a national initiative of the Institute for Higher Education Policy, or IHEP, to help students who have earned some college credits complete their degrees.
As one of the colleges and universities from 20 states participating in Degrees When Due, Middlesex Community College, or MxCC, will learn best practices in degree reclamation and provide targeted support while re-engaging students who have paused, or “stopped out,” their studies. Three other Connecticut community colleges, the four state universities, and Charter Oak State College are also participating in the Degrees When Due initiative.
“Middlesex Community College is committed to the importance of reengaging students and promoting degree completion,” said MxCC Chief Executive Officer Steve Minkler, Ed.D. “The Degrees When Due program provides proven strategies to help us better identify and serve returning learners. When they enroll, each student is assigned an advisor and can monitor their academic progress using our existing online tools. Advisors help students develop a meaningful path, compatible with their goals, and support student learning through their educational experience at Middlesex and beyond.”
Degrees When Due grants MxCC access to various resources that assist more students with completing their degrees. These resources help the college audit students’ transfer and previously earned credits to determine the most efficient pathway to graduation. The program benefits more than 30,000 individuals in Connecticut who have been identified as having some college credits but no awarded degree.
“Our Degrees When Due institutional and state partners are building a strong pathway to degree attainment for all students, including by providing an on-ramp for those who have paused their studies or ‘stopped-out,’” said IHEP President Michelle Asha Cooper, Ph.D. “IHEP enthusiastically welcomes the selected institutions and states to this effort. Through this initiative, they will increase student success, serve a diverse set of student populations, and join us in addressing one of higher education’s most pressing challenges: degree completion.”
“People may have stopped their education for various reasons, but we are here to help them get their credentials and lead them toward success,” added Minkler.
Since 1966, Middlesex Community College has provided high-quality, affordable, and accessible education to a diverse population, enhancing the strengths of individuals through degree, certificate, and lifelong learning programs that lead to university transfer, employment, and an enriched awareness of our shared responsibilities as global citizens. A part of the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities system, MxCC offers more than 70 degree or certificate programs at the main 35-acre campus in Middletown, MxCC@Platt in Meriden, and online.
