Miami, Oct. 14, 2019- Miami Dade College (MDC) has received an extension from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to renew and extend the Frontier Set initiative. It is a circle of higher education institutions aiming to eliminate the racial, ethnic and socio-economic barriers that can bar students from earning a college degree. MDC will be awarded an additional $175,000, bringing the total grant amount to $755,000.
“We are appreciative for the grant extension in support of our Student Achievement Initiatives to significantly increase student success at MDC,” said Dr. Kathy Maalouf, Vice Provost, Student Affairs. “These include improved planning and holistic student advising, implementation of comprehensive early alerts and interventions, increased use of digital learning approaches and technological tools to address student needs, and redesigned developmental education.”
The Frontier Set is supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, in partnership with more than a dozen organizations, including the Aspen Institute. The exclusive group includes 29 diverse colleges, universities and state systems that were singled out based on their proven track records of improving student outcomes. The organization, which allocates five-year grants to its members, works with colleges to learn what tools, strategies and public policies best encourage student success.
Diversity is a hallmark of MDC, which enrolls more minority students than any other college or university in the United States. MDC’s exceptional student success rate includes having 86 percent of associate degree graduates ultimately transfer to private or public universities to continue their education within a year.