Not Every Engineer Drives a Train: The MESA Community College Program in Operation AAAS Annual Meeting San Diego, CA February 21, 2010 Oscar F. Porter, Ph.D. Executive Director Mathematics Engineering Science Achievement

MESA California Community College Program MCCP Mission: To recruit, retain and successfully transfer educationally and economically disadvantaged community college students majoring in calculus-based fields.

Student Eligibility MCCP Students must: Major in a Calculus-based Field Prove Financial and Educational Disadvantage Show Progress toward Transfer in STEM field Complete and follow the Student Educational Plan Sign and follow a Student Contract The contract includes items such as: *Participate in Program Activities * Regular Contacts with MESA Counselor and MESA Director * Academic Excellence Workshop and Peer Study Group Participation * Community Service Hours *Maintain required GPA or be advised in an “Improvement Plan”

Campus Eligibility To participate in MCCP a campus must: Be successful in the annual RFA competition Meet all program agreement standards, including all deliverables, as outlined in the contract between CCCCO and the campus Match the MESA award of $81,500 annually on a dollar-for-dollar basis (N.B., the state budget reduced the award to $56,000 annually.)

MCCP 31 Programs in California Allan Hancock College – Santa MariaMendocino College - Ukiah American River College – SacramentoMission College – Santa Clara Butte College – OrovilleNapa Valley College - Napa Bakersfield College – BakersfieldPasadena City College – Pasadena Cabrillo College – AptosRio Hondo College - Whittier Canada College – Redwood CitySacramento City College – Sacramento City College of San Francisco (unendowed) San Diego City College – San Diego College of the Canyons – Santa Clarita San Joaquin Delta College - Stockton College of the Desert – Palm Desert Santa Ana College – Santa Ana College of the Sequoias (unendowed) Santa Barbara City College – Santa Barbara College of the Siskiyous – Weed Skyline College – San Bruno Cosumnes River College – Sacramento Solano College - Fairfield East L.A. College – Monterey Park Southwestern College – Chula Vista El Camino College – Torrance Ventura College - Ventura Fullerton College – Fullerton Yuba College – Marysville Gavilan College – Gilroy Hartnell College – Salinas Los Medanos College – Pittsburg (unendowed)

MESA Community College Program Components LEVEL ILEVEL II 1) Administrative Component7) Student Support Services 2) MESA Student Center8) Clustering 3) Academic Excellence Workshops9) Professional Development 4) Academic Advising/Counseling10) Student Organizations 5) Student Outreach and Retention11) Industry Council 6) MESA Orientation12) Campus Council 13) Regional and/or Statewide Partnerships Of the thirteen components of a fully funded MCC Program, six are listed in the RFA as “non-negotiable” and must be offered as they appear in the Standards and Expectations Appendix. Quality work and services to students is paramount. Programs not in compliance are notified in writing, may be put on probation and may be de-funded, in accordance to CCCCO regulations.

Detail on Key Components Student Study Center. This multipurpose center is the hub for study and special activities. Academic Excellence Workshops. Students are scheduled in the same core math and science classes and taught how to successfully master complex technical ideas and principles through a collaborative approach. Orientation course. First-year students learn skills to excel academically in college as math, science and engineering majors. Assistance in the transfer process. MESA provides academic counseling, visits to four- year institutions, and workshops to assist students to transfer. Career advising. Students are exposed to different math, engineering and science career options through contacts with industry mentors, field trips, job shadowing, career fairs and internship opportunities. Professional development. Through workshops and mock job fairs, students learn about corporate culture, improve their resume writing and interviewing skills and are offered opportunities for part-time, full-time and summer employment in industry. Links with student and professional organizations. These resources provide mentors, guest speakers and industry field trips. Industry Advisory Board. Corporate representatives, including MESA alumni, participate on advisory boards at each center to provide strategic planning assistance, scholarships, summer internships, field trips and other resources. The board is a valuable connection between the students and companies that recognize MESA’s success in helping to develop the technical professionals they need.

Who are MCCP Students?* MajorsStudents Engineering – 37%African American – 9% Computer Science – 6%Latino – 53% Life Sciences – 31%Native American – 2% All Other Sciences- 10%All Others – 36% Math – 7% Gender Male – 57% Female – 43% *2008 Fall Enrollment

MAJORS TRANSFER DESTINATIONS Engineering37% UC 43% 1) UC Davis Life Sciences31%2) UC San Diego 3) UC Berkeley Physical Sciences 10% CSU 49% Mathematics 7%1) San Jose State 2) Cal Poly SLO Computer Science 6%3) Cal Poly Pomona Other Science 10% Independent/Out of State 8% 1) UOP 2) USC Transfer Information

Transfer Data : MCCP Students as Percent of All STEM Community College Transfers Over this recent three-year period, MCCP transfers accounted for 5% of all CA. community college STEM transfers to UC and CSU. Among African American, Latino and Native American students, MCCP transfers accounted for 11.1% of all CA. STEM transfers to UC and CSU. 10% of all Latino STEM transfers 13.2% of all African American STEM transfers 20.2% of all Native American STEM transfers Statewide transfer data provided by CPEC. MCCP transfer data and analysis by MESA Statewide Office.

Why Does It Work? Creates a community based on academic, social and economic commonalities – a “place to belong” Provides services dedicated to the academic needs of a unique set of disciplines Supplements the “typical” experience with meaningful opportunities personally and professionally Encourages students to be accountable to themselves, each other and the program itself Administratively, the program is a data-driven culture with data collection, analysis, and operational feedback

Issues of Concern for MCCP Contract award amount remained the same since 1993, the first program year, until the current year Program support reduced by 35% in budget Maintain focus on target population in the context of Prop. 209 and the Camarena decision Maintain the continuum of service with other MESA program units – MESA Schools Program and MESA Engineering Program Campus space and location Support for students as they prepare for MESA eligibility

Not Every Engineer Drives a Train: The MESA Community College Program in Operation AAAS Annual Meeting San Diego, CA February 21, 2010 Oscar F. Porter, Ph.D. Executive Director Mathematics Engineering Science Achievement