To ensure academic and career support for students as they navigate their educational journey at Los Medanos College, guided pathways have provided resources to students for the past five years. Recent plans to implement Student Success Teams within the program by the fall of 2023, incorporate focused interdisciplinary groups to support a student’s academic careers from registration to completion.

For the past three years, co-chairs of the Strategic Enrollment Management Committee Natalie Hannum and Tanisha Maxwell collaborated with diverse voices on the committee and campus to put the plans together. The team’s model received positive feedback from the Academic Senate during a meeting on April 10 and was approved by the College’s Shared Governance Committee on April 12. 

“Student Success Teams will be a great addition because there will be identified teams available to provide their support and expertise to students tailored to the student’s selected pathway and aligned academic and career goals,” said Maxwell.

Following a specific framework of equitable access and success, guided pathways allow students to clarify a pathway, get on a pathway, stay on a pathway and ensure learning. Toward transferring to a 4-year institution or preparing for the workforce based on a student’s educational credentials. 

Teams are tailored to each of the five pathways: Health and Public Safety; Behavioral Science and Social Science; Science Technology, Engineering and Mathematics; Business, Manufacturing, and Transportation; and Arts, Humanities, and Communication, correlated to academic degrees and certificates LMC offers. 

At the start of each semester, a wide variety of resources are available to help students while at LMC, but most of those resources can go unnoticed. The implication of the success teams will provide a more proactive approach to reach students according to Hannum to help navigate the processes of college. 

Students will receive tailored individualistic support based on their guided pathway as teams would be composed of an Instructional Dean, Counselor, Faculty Mentor, Student Ambassadors and Student Success Coach. 

“A collection of roles and responsibilities that are meant to wrap themselves around a student,” said Hannum. “It’s our hope to connect with more students and help them feel a sense of community and support.”

As the project is set to begin in the fall of 2023, Hannum describes guided pathways as “not fully developed” as feedback and modifications from staff and students will make success teams a continuous process of improvement.

Currently, the project is moving toward staffing and hiring during the summer, incorporating professional development and training for those fulfilling roles set to begin by the fall semester. 

“I hope that the implementation of the SST model will increase equitable access, persistence and success in a manner that allows all of our students to thrive, accomplish their academic and career goals, and transform their lives,” said Maxwell. 

The support provided by the success teams focuses on building a supportive community as students begin their college journeys. Constantly working toward providing the best resources for students, the Strategic Enrollment Management Committee is looking forward to having the teams be fulfilling and valuable to campus life.