Genesee News

Hardworking Americans Committee issued the following announcement on Sept 02.

When it comes to community colleges in the state, Monroe County Community College is No. 1.

WalletHub, a consumer-minded financial website, recently gave MCCC the distinction after it conducted an in-depth analysis of 710 community colleges across the country.

Dr. Kojo Quartey, president of MCCC, said WalletHub’s recognition is a testament to the caliber of the education offered at the college and the strength of its faculty and staff.

“We are not only proud, we are elated,” Quartey said. “We work hard here – we put our students first. Everything we do is student-focused.”

The organization analyzed data sets across three areas: the cost and financing required to attend each institution; students’ educational outcomes and career opportunities available to each institution’s alumni.

Within each area, other factors were considered, including graduation rate, tuition rates, grant and scholarship eligibility and student-faculty ratios. Also considered were graduates’ median salaries and student-loan default rates, in addition to other metrics.

Within recent years, the college has added nuclear technology and agriculture programs to the college, Quartey said, adding that the strength and diversity of its curriculum helped contribute to the ranking.

MCCC also has increased its scholarship offerings, Quartey said, highlighting that the college’s tuition rates are affordable and accessible to the community.

According to MCCC’s website, the average cost of tuition and fees for a full-time student from Monroe County at the college is $3,254. According to WalletHub, the national average is $3,660 for public two-year colleges and $10,320 at public four-year colleges.

The college has recently renovated several of its spaces, including the Life Sciences collaborative student space and its East and West Technology buildings, which were mainly funded by a voter-passed initiative. In November 2016, voters approved a .85-mill maintenance and improvement millage that has been used to fund many of the renovations at the college.

Community support is essential to a college’s success, Quartey said. The Monroe County community, including area residents and businesses, has been very supportive, Quartey added.

“We are where we are today because our community is so supportive,” Quartey said. “They put their money behind us.”

On a national level, MCCC was ranked 129 of the 710 colleges evaluated. Comparatively, neighboring institutions ranked lower.

Within the state, Washtenaw Community College ranked 263 in the country and 8 in the state. Owens Community College in Perrysburg, Ohio, was ranked 670 in the country and 20 in Ohio.

The State Technical College of Missouri in Linn, Mo., was ranked as the best community college in the nation. Sisseton Wahpeton College in Sisseston, S.D., was ranked as the worst.

Data for the study was aggregated from the National Center for Education Statistics, CNBC, U.S. Department of Education, Council for Community & Economic Research and College Measures.

Original source here.