$75,000 state grant to STCC designed to help close achievement gaps

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Springfield Technical Community College received a $75,000 state grant to increase faculty’s core equity competencies and knowledge about racial equity, social justice and structures that have an impact on student success.

The Massachusetts Higher Education Innovation Fund grant from the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education will support professional development for 20 faculty members. The goal of the project is to help underserved and underrepresented – especially students of color – succeed along their academic journey, from applying to STCC to graduation.

Mary Wiseman, Director of Instructional Innovation and Faculty Investment at STCC, said the funding will help advance the college’s mission to support students as they transform their lives.

"I am very excited to gather faculty, lead them in training on techniques to increase their skills and ultimately lift the equity agenda," Wiseman said.  “We want to explore how to make classrooms inclusive spaces where students feel welcomed and connected to the faculty and curriculum.”

With the funding in hand, STCC plans to recruit faculty who will join a core coaching group known as Equity Leaders & Guides who will train in equity-minded practices. At the conclusion of their work, they will share their discoveries with STCC colleagues.

Vice President of Academic Affairs Geraldine de Berly said the initiative is critically important.

“We are grateful to Governor Baker and his administration for supporting our diversity, equity and inclusion efforts,” de Berly said. “This training will support our faculty who make such a difference in our students' lives.    

STCC, which has a technical focus in all of its programs, is designated as a Hispanic Serving Institution. About 30 percent of the student body are Latino, Latina or Latinx.

I am very excited to gather faculty, lead them in training on techniques to increase their skills and ultimately lift the equity agenda. Mary Wiseman, director Instructional Innovation & Faculty Investment

The faculty will work together to discover new teaching techniques. They will attend workshop training with the Collaborative for Educational Services, CES Northampton.

In addition, they will engage in a virtual book club, among other tasks.

The Department of Higher Education this past summer released its Strategic Plan for Racial Equity which outlined the following five strategies:

• Establish the Infrastructure to Drive Racial Equity;
• Transform Institutional Cultures to be Equity-Minded;
• Increase Access to Higher Education for Students of Color;
• Build a Culturally Relevant and Civically Engaged Educational Experience for Students of Color;and
• Prepare Students of Color to Thrive Beyond Their Time in Higher Education.

STCC has supported a number of diversity, equity and inclusion efforts over recent years, including but not limited to the formation of the Anti-Racism and Inclusion Alliance and the creation of an equity agenda for each of the three academic schools.

STCC also offers a number of programs to support underserved students:

• 100 Males to College
• Early College
• Gateway to College
• STEM Starter Academy
• Male Initiative for Leadership in Education (MILE)
• Female Leadership and Mentoring (LEAD)
• TRIO Student Support Services
• The Center for Access Services
• The Diversity Speaker and Performance Series
• We the Women speaker series
• College for Kids summer programs

Jennifer Wallace-Johnson, Assistant Professor in Social and Behavioral Sciences, will take part in the training which includes learning culturally relevant teaching practices. This type of teaching uses the experience and perspectives of students as tools for better classroom instruction.

“When we take a critical look at the progress that higher education has made in the area of addressing the inequities that exist – at all levels –  we see that not enough progress has been made to affect outcomes with respect to underrepresented students,” Wallace-Johnson said.

“We need to come full circle and dismantle the current structures in place that were not designed with equity in mind,” Wallace-Johnson added. “Addressing this from the academic side through opportunities such as the HEIF grant is a golden opportunity to make real changes … by infiltrating our teaching practices and training faculty to become more culturally responsive instructors.”

Another faculty member who will join the initiative, Melissa Pereira, Assistant Professor of Health Information Technologies, said more work is needed to achieve equitable outcomes among students.

“The way it has always been done is not enough today.  Everyone does not fit in a box that is one size so teaching with equity in mind will help us focus on each student's individual needs,” Pereira said. “The HEIF grant gives us an opportunity to explore and share how we can better serve our students – all students – and fulfill our mission of supporting them as they transform their lives.”

Interested in applying to STCC? Visit stcc.edu/apply or call Admissions at (413) 755-3333.

About Springfield Technical Community College

STCC, the Commonwealth's only technical community college, continues the pioneering legacy of the Springfield Armory with comprehensive and technical education in manufacturing, STEM, healthcare, business, social services, and the liberal arts. STCC's highly regarded workforce, certificate, degree, and transfer programs are the most affordable in Springfield and provide unequaled opportunity for the vitality of Western Massachusetts. Founded in 1967, the college – a designated Hispanic Serving Institution – seeks to close achievement gaps among students who traditionally face societal barriers. STCC supports students as they transform their lives through intellectual, cultural, and economic engagement while becoming thoughtful, committed and socially responsible graduates.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Jim Danko, (413) 755-4812, jdanko@stcc.edu

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