Detroit City Wire

The Detroit Drives Degrees Community College Collaborative (D3C3) has announced the inclusion of St. Clair County Community College (SC4) as its newest partner. This addition brings the total number of community colleges in the collaborative to eight. A $300,000 grant from the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation will be allocated to SC4 staff who will work directly with high school students in Port Huron and Yale school districts, aiming to increase college enrollment rates for the 2025 graduating class.

Greg Handel, Vice President of Education and Talent at the Detroit Regional Chamber, emphasized the importance of this initiative by stating, “The commitment from our funders to support D3C3 colleges reinforces the importance of this work.” He also noted that adding SC4 to the program will enable more comprehensive changes and enhance collaboration among community colleges in the Detroit region.

Kirk Kramer, President of St. Clair County Community College, expressed enthusiasm about joining D3C3: “SC4’s commitment to ensuring students have equitable access to the life-changing impact of a quality education is closely aligned with D3C3’s work.” Kramer highlighted that the grant would further aid SC4 in improving students' transition from high school to college and eventually into their careers.

The funding will also be used by SC4 to conduct a HOPE survey developed by Temple University. This tool assesses student needs beyond academics and helps devise future support strategies. The grant period extends from October 2024 through September 2025.

D3C3 has reported several achievements over its two-and-a-half-year existence, including developing a regional standard for academic advising practices and addressing student mental health issues on campuses through partnerships with Uwill and the JED Foundation. Additionally, efforts are underway with K-12 partners to expand dual enrollment opportunities based on evidence-based research from Columbia University's Community College Research Center.

D3C3 aims to elevate community colleges' role in increasing educational access and success rates while enhancing regional workforce pipelines. The initiative is part of a broader effort by the Detroit Regional Chamber's Detroit Drives Degrees program to raise post-secondary educational attainment levels in Michigan.