The Community College Connection Program is better serving students this fall thanks to a $10,000 grant from Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MnSCU).
The Retention, Completion and Employment Grant is supporting the creation of an Academic Coaching Model pilot project for students in the Community College Connection Program, which helps prepare students with a low ACT score or high school GPA for success in college.
The program is run jointly by St. Cloud State University and St. Cloud Technical and Community College (SCTCC) with students taking SCTCC courses on the St. Cloud State campus to help them prepare for acceptance at the university.
While many Connection program students find success once enrolling fully in St. Cloud State, others struggle and realize the program they’re looking for is at SCTCC or another college, where they do find success, said Álvaro Plachejo, Community College Connection program coordinator.
The Academic Coaching Model is designed to help these students identify their individual strengths and determine their chosen education pathway while in the Connection program so they won’t lose time and tuition funds pursuing the wrong program, he said.
— Álvaro Plachejo
This year’s Connection program students are piloting the Academic Coaching Model by participating in a StrengthsQuest assessment and workshop to determine their academic goals and desired career.
Following the workshop, students could opt to participate in the academic coaching, which provides them with a mentor who will help them to study the results of their assessment in-depth and help them to connect with career services at SCTCC and St. Cloud State to figure out how the best academic path to their career goals.
Students who lean toward a two-year degree will learn more about the SCTCC programs, the job outlook in their chosen field and be connected with employers in the field, Plachejo said, adding these students can also tailor their Connection classes to best suit the electives required of their chosen program.
“The aim at the end is to help all students find a better fit,” he said. “Student success is the priority here.”
