Transform for Students

Montgomery College exists for its students. The College’s business is student success and the care of students—before, during, and after their time with the College.

To this end, the PTAC focused on the challenges MC faces in meeting students in these three phases of their relationship with the College, specifically, new students, current students, and successful students. The College has opportunities to enhance ways to engage with students we seek to serve, how we sustain their progress, and how we position students to fulfill their aspirations and meld their success with that of our community and workforce.

• New students—Many factors affect our success in reaching potential students who would attend MC, including identifying individuals from populations that are underserved or overlooked. It is essential to support students on the pathways that lead them to MC and carry them onward.
• Current students—Student success and student retention can take many forms. We have to be successful at identifying and meeting the needs of a variety of students, both in the classroom and with student support services that are available in face-to-face and virtual environments.
• Successful students—The question is how do we position students to fulfill their educational goals and to merge their success with that of our community and workforce? Our vision of student success does not end with the completion of their work at MC. We are committed to supporting pathways for students to achieve opportunities for family-sustaining wages, to fulfill the aspirations they hold for themselves for advanced education in any direction, and to invigorate civic and cultural life. Success for MC is also measured in the health of the community, reflected though the journeys of our students and the contributions of our programs to the workforce and other aspects of community life.

Transformational efforts should be strategically structured to meet the needs of students in each of these categories.