Creating a Student Success Program with Limited Staff at a Small Rural Community College

	Creating a Student Success Program with Limited Staff at a Small Rural Community College

	Speaker:	Melissa Shaffer Dean of Student Services Mesalands Community College 911 S. Tenth Street Tucumcari, NM 88401 505-461-4413 505-461-1901 MelissaS@Mesalands.edu Joanna Gutierrez Academic Advisor Mesalands Community College 911 S. Tenth Street Tucumcari, NM 88401 505-461-4413 505-461-1901 JoAnnaG@Mesalands.edu Peggy Brockman Acting Director of Educational Services Mesalands Community College 911 S. Tenth Street Tucumcari, NM 88401 505-461-4413 505-461-1901 PeggyB@Mesalands.edu

	Mesalands Community College is a small rural community college located in Tucumcari, NM. The college serves approximately 6,000 residents in the city, 51 percent of whom are of Hispanic origin and 27 percent below the poverty level. Mesalands is the only college within a 90 mile radius, providing opportunity for upward mobility through higher education to an area population of which only 5.8 percent hold a bachelor's degree or higher. Mesalands faces many significant challenges with both students functioning at a low basic skills level and a limited number of personnel to provide services. Mesalands has developed a comprehensive student success program to boost the educational level of the community, utilizing a limited staff to serve at-risk students. These services include ABE (GED preparation, literacy, citizenship), mandatory assessment and placement, additional laboratory hours for pre-collegiate courses, student college success course, peer tutoring, success workshops, peer mentoring, and a student referral program.

	Presentation