Stories & Case Studies
Located about an hour and a half outside of metropolitan New Orleans on the Mississippi coast, Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College (MGCCC) serves four counties in southeast Mississippi across 10 locations, including three campuses, six centers, and a training academy.
MGCCC has a longstanding emphasis on student success, including a “one-stop shop” approach where each campus has a center in which students can speak with an advisor about any topic, from financial aid to transferring credits, and receive additional support as needed. The approach exemplifies the college’s commitment to “help all our students be more successful as they work toward their dreams for an education and a better life beyond college,” MGCCC President Dr. Mary S. Graham says.
As one of the first two Mississippi community colleges to join the Achieving the Dream (ATD) Network, MGCCC benefited from coaching, resources, and the support of peer institutions to strengthen its ongoing mission to support students and ensure their success. This case study details how the college’s students benefited from its participation in the ATD institutional improvement process, and outlines lessons learned that can benefit other institutions.
About This Case Study
This case study draws from ATD’s efforts to support institutional capacity-building at two Mississippi institutions, Coahoma Community College (CCC) and Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College (MGCCC). The Woodward Hines Education Foundation (WHEF), which works to increase postsecondary attainment in Mississippi, provided the financial support to allow CCC and MGCCC to join the ATD Network and benefit from coaching, resources, and peer supports. The case study draws from Higher Ed Insight’s evaluation of ATD’s work with the two institutions, as well as interviews with MGCCC faculty, administrators, and students.
‘Finishing Strong’
How a multi-campus community
college leveraged its strengths
to support students through
uncertain times
