Merritt Street Scholars Program

On Wednesday, January 11, we came together for the relaunch of the Street Scholars Program, and suffice it to say it was an absolute success. Street Scholars is a program that focuses on peer mentoring and support services to promote the academic success of formerly incarcerated students. That evening the community presence was in full swing, as prospective students, those currently enrolled, and alumni learned the history of this tremendous program.

 We also were able to honor the memory of Dr. Bill Love and Professor Ronald Moss— not only with reflections from Professor Melvin Newton, but with recollections shared by the current Peer Mentor team. We were also honored by the presence of Mrs. Cynthia Moss, who cut the ceremonial ribbon to officially reopen the site that changed so many lives. And with that we present to you the newly renamed Love-Moss Center for Re-Entry and Empowerment! We have no doubt that the new home for our Street Scholars will be instrumental in helping to change student lives for many years to come!

Merritt College Flex Day

At this past Friday’s Flex Day Merritt was pleased to offer several engaging breakout discussions, including sessions on incorporating library resources for college success, utilizing embedded tutoring to improve pedagogical outcomes, and accessing the Peer Online Course Review system (which was established as part of the California Virtual Campus/Online Education Initiative, and enables students across the California Community College system to access our online courses while providing the same opportunity for our students as well).

The main focus for the day, however, was the Merritt College Educational Master Planning sessions. We held critical conversations regarding:

• Building a student-centered culture of caring
• Improving teaching and learning for student needs
• Reducing the cost of college attendance
• Reimagining the campus (student/employee housing; cultural climate; etc.)
• Providing clearly-defined educational pathways that lead to earning a living wage

We look forward to building on the progress made and completing the Educational Master Plan by May 2023.

Merritt College: Spring is Free/Six for Six Campaign

As the college commences this first week of the Spring 2023 semester Merritt’s enrollment picture is coming into sharper focus. Our Spring is Free/Six for Six Campaign (coupled with our district-supported marketing and outreach efforts) have yielded encouraging results. After experiencing a noticeable drop in enrollment this past fall term (based on the year to year comparison), we have reversed the decline and are essentially on par with our Spring 2022 numbers. Merritt currently has an enrollment of 8,679, a headcount of 5,796, and a Resident FTES at 1080.58. Additionally, this past Saturday we held our Spring Express Enrollment event.

To ensure greater access for our students, we offered enrollment support services online and face- to-face. Our Welcome Center Team ran point and directed new and continuing students to the appropriate departments (Admissions & Records, Financial Aid, Orientation, and Counseling). We expect this event to produce an additional upswing in enrollment over the first week of the term.

This article is taken from the President’s Report, written by Dr. David M. Johnson, Merritt College President, that was presented to the PCCD Board of Trustees during their regular meeting on Tuesday, January 24, 2023. To view it as a pdf, click here.