Executive Summary

Students First!
Moorpark College has a rich legacy of student-centered education. The college mission reads:

With a "Students First" philosophy, Moorpark College is dedicated to creating and serving a diverse community of global learners with innovative integration of instruction and student services. Through collaboration with local business and educational partners, Moorpark College is committed to student success and completion for basic skills, transfer and career technical education.

The phrase "Students First!" drives the college's core values and is foundational to the college’s everyday conversations.

Evidence of our dedication to our "students first" philosophy can be seen in our college's Student Learning Model, blending instructional and student services programs under the leadership of two Vice Presidents: Academic Affairs and Student Support. Our Student Learning Model is based on the belief that students are served effectively when the institution views students holistically. Looking at students from a holistic perspective shifts the institutional focus from "What are we teaching? to "What are students learning?" Further, the Moorpark College Student Success and Equity Committee consists of faculty, staff and managers representing instructional programs (including basic skills, transfer and career-technical education), student service programs and business service programs. This committee makes recommendations on college-wide planning related to student success and equity activities.

Goals/Outcomes

Moorpark College’s overarching goal is to increase the rates of success in each area by 5 percent (closing the gap) for each underserved population by 2020. Below is a list of each individual goals to be reached by 2020:

  • Increase access by 5 percent for students who identify as foster youth, veterans or low-income.
  • Increase course completion by 5 percent for students who are Black/African-American, Hispanic or Pacific Islander, disabled students, and for students who identify as foster youth or veterans.
  • Increase basic skills pathway completion by 5 percent for students who are Hispanic (ESL pathway), Females (ESL pathway), American Indian/Alaskan Native (Math pathway), Black/African-American (Math pathway), or Hispanic (Math pathway)
  • Increase degree and certificate completion by 5 percent for students who are Hispanic
  • Increase transfer rates by 5 percent for students who are Hispanic, and for students who identify as foster youth or veterans.

Budget

The student equity funding for 2014-2015, 2015-2016 and 2016-2017 was expended to provide interventions that were aligned with our equity goals. In 2014-2015, Moorpark College received $376,822 that was used to hire counselors to perform educational plans and follow up services, support staff to analyze data and provide basic skills tutorial sessions and partially paid for a dean to oversee the equity plan. Additionally, the college created a book loaner program for foster youth and veterans to decrease financial barriers. For the first time in the state, student equity funding was issued out to all the California Community Colleges, therefore there was a need to provide professional development to faculty, staff, students and administrators to learn about supporting and increasing success among our disproportionately impacted (DI) students. In 2015-2016, like most colleges in California had their student equity budget doubled to $807,949. With the increase, the college hired additional counselors, tutors, student workers, professional experts and other support staff. Additional resources were allocated to send faculty and staff to conferences, seminars and hosting student equity workshops. Book vouchers and student success kits were purchased for veterans, foster youth and low income students. The creation of our first year experience program-Guided Pathway to Success was partially funded through equity that targeted first year college students. For 2016-2017, the college received approximately $877,000. This allocation is to sustain the previous two years and examine alternative best practices to increase access, success, completion and transfer rates among our DI student populations.

Activities

The activities defined in our equity plan are the development of a first-year experience program, a learning-community that combines summer bridge courses, general education coursework, counseling and career exploration, peer mentoring, supplemental instruction, and skills development and/or assignments. The first year experience activity in our equity plan is designed to specifically reach student populations demonstrating lower success rates at the course level as well as the degree, certificate and/or transfer levels, which are currently our Hispanic, Black/African-American and foster youth students.

Further, the college opened a Veterans Resource Center (VRC) to provide additional support of veteran students. The college provided classified staff and faculty to assist with admission and GI Bill certification, created educational plans and student support services such as tutors in basic skills, student mentors, textbook lending library, and outreach events and activities to provide access to potential student veterans from our surrounding service area to increase the success and retention of our student veterans.

Moorpark College allocated additional support to aid our former foster youth by hiring support staff to assist with the foster youth transition into college, tutors to aid with basic skill courses, counseling to develop educational plans and student success workshops that aim to increase completion rates, established a textbook lending library and provided student success kits that included school supplies to relieve some financial barriers.

Other activities defined in this plan include:

  • Activities around increasing student engagement and community-building
  • Activities that include opportunities for professional development for faculty and staff
  • Activities that increase institutional research and analysis and presentation of student success data
  • Activities that increase awareness of our service programs available to underserved populations
  • Activities that support students in creating and achieving their educational goals

Resources

The college has prepared a budget that is integrated and comprehensive, clearing funding activities that will reach the student populations demonstrating the highest need for assistance in reaching their educational goals. The Student Success and Equity Committee recommended the resource allocation based on the activities defined in our plan, and will monitor the implementation and success of the activities being funded.

For further information, please contact the following individuals:

Dr. Amanuel Gebru, VP of Student Support

Dr. Julius Sokenu, VP of Academic Affairs