Miami Dade College (MDC) recently received the renowned 2017 Achieving the Dream’s Leah Meyer Austin Award (LMA), which annually recognizes an institution that has demonstrated outstanding achievement in designing a student-focused culture that permeates all levels and structures of the organization.
MDC is a national model of student achievement. Starting in 2011, MDC teams analyzed student data, developed hypotheses about obstacles to completion, reviewed literature, and conducted surveys and focus groups. They adopted a guided pathway model to redesign academic and student services that support a student’s journey.
Named for the college’s mascot, “Shark Path” is an intentional weaving of strategies, programs, activities, and interventions that aligns academic and support services, and guides students from before they enter college all the way to completion of a credential and transition to either a baccalaureate program or the workplace. The Shark Path includes academic maps that help students reach graduation as quickly as possible while incurring minimal financial burden.
This year’s award, sponsored by the Kresge Foundation, is accompanied by a $25,000 prize in recognition of the colleges’ student success work. The award was announced at the opening session of DREAM 2017 National Convention in San Francisco.
For more information visit www.mdc.edu.
