This MI-BEST Project Lead Touch Base will be held on Tuesday, March 22, 2022, from 12pm-1:30pm. The purpose of this connection is to update project leads on upcoming activities, project expectations, and to give project leads the opportunity to engage with each other. Registration for this event is now open. Contact Precious Miller with questions. 

In early 2022, the US Department of Education released guidance that permits the use of Federal Application for Student Aid (FAFSA) data to aid in the administration of several federal benefits programs. On April 13, 2022, from 1pm-2pm, we collectively discussed ways in which Michigan community colleges can use FAFSA data to conduct targeted student outreach and connect students to programs designed to meet the basic needs of students. We also had special guest, Kandy Lazell, MiLEAP Program Specialist at Labor and Economic Opportunity, discuss the financial assistance that is available to students who are partnered colleges with MiLEAP. The recording and associated documents are available for your review. Contact Precious Miller with questions. Contact Precious Miller with questions. 

The final MI-BEST workshop took place on Wednesday, May 18th, 2022 from 12pm-1pm. This virtual experience included sharing the early findings of institutional scaling efforts to 1.) understand student needs, 2.) connect students to campus resources, 3.) connect students to community resources, and 4.) ensure students have access to supports. Participants were engaged with National Center for Inquiry and Improvement as we expanded our thinking regarding the (re)design of campus practices to center Student Financial Stability in the student experience. The event recording is now available for review. Contact Precious Miller with questions. 

We celebrated the individual and organizational accomplishments of MI-BEST on Tuesday, June 7, 2022 from 1-2:30pm. The investments made towards centering student success efforts, developing far and wide partnerships, and forecasting the future of this work was highlighted in our time together. What an amazing journey we have collectively engaged in over the last couple of years. Thank you to Bay College, Schoolcraft College and Muskegon Community College for sharing your accomplishment and plans to sustain the work of MI-BEST. Many thanks to National Center for Inquiry and Improvement for sharing resources that encourage continued momentum towards supporting the long-term economic stability of students. The celebration agenda, recap video, recording, and slide deck are available for review and sharing with colleagues. Contact Precious Miller with questions.

On Tuesday, Jan. 18th, 2022 at 9am-10, MCSS partnered with Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA) in an insightful webinar. MSHDA  provides financial and technical assistance through public and private partnerships to create and preserve safe and decent affordable housing. Focusing on the long-term financial stability of students and addressing immediate housing needs, this webinar focused on the holistic financial coaching students can access to ensure their housing is sustainable and how to access community supports to address acute housing challenges. Those who viewed this learning opportunity understand how to access housing education services, how to access services for those who are homeless, and how to locate and refer students to housing resources in their specific county. Institutions can utilize the MSHDA flyers and fact sheets to market the housing resources to students. The recording, slide decks, and associated resources can are all available. Contact Precious Miller with questions. 

On Wednesday, March 9th 2022 from 12pm-1pm participants discussed the important topic of maintaining a sense of belonging in the era of COVID. With the varying facets of the ongoing pandemic, many institutions are challenged with developing ways to continue to foster a sense of community, building relationships with virtual learners, and connecting with students who are no longer spending extended time on campus. Knowing that sense of belonging impacts student retention, cross-college sharing was facilitated to give institutions opportunities to learn strategies from each other and increase student connections. The recording and slide deck reflects the discussions held during this virtual convening. Contact Precious Miller with questions. 

The MI-BEST Project Lead Touch Base was held on Wednesday, Jan. 20th, 2021 from 9am-10:30am. The purpose of this connection was to update project leads on upcoming activities, project expectations, and to give project leads the opportunity to engage with each other. The slide deck and summary of our conversations is now available. Contact Precious Miller with questions. 

The MI-BEST Workshop 4 was facilitated alongside the National Center for Inquiry and Improvement and Jobs for the Future on Wednesday, February 10th, 2021, from 8:30-11:30am via Zoom. This virtual workshop focused on organizing community-based resources. It also included presentations, panel discussion and breakout sessions to promote cross sharing. You can now access the workshop recording, resources shared by other institutions, MCCA slide deck, JFF slide deck and accompanying resources. Contact Precious Miller with questions. 

This MI BEST Webinar focused on the findings of the Student Financial Wellness Survey on Wednesday, March 31st, 2021 2pm-3:30pm. Facilitated by Trellis Research, participants learned of common themes from survey results to help us understand the student experience in the state of Michigan. This included key findings relating to student debt, student loan counseling, and the financial barriers to attainment. The recording, slide deck from Trellis Research, and MCSS are now available. Contact Precious Miller with questions. 

This MI-BEST webinar was held on Wednesday, April 21st, 2021 from 9am-10am for MI-BEST Team Members and focused on engaging faculty. Faculty members are valuable collaborators at our institutions and have the opportunity to connect with many of our students. During this webinar, we paid tribute to our faculty, shared ways in which faculty are currently connecting students to basic need supports, and how to engage additional faculty members. We additionally discussed strategies to help all faculty understand the role they play in retention and persistence efforts. The slide deck and recording can be accessed and shared. Contact Precious Miller with questions. 

This event is being rescheduled and will now occur on Sept. 15th 3pm-4pm. 

Many have looked to better understand our students and have implored a variety of strategies to capture the student perspective. Public Policy and Associates (PPA) has facilitated focus groups at select institutions to collect the stories of the  student experience. On Wednesday, May 5th, 2021 from 3pm-4pm, PPA will share the results of the focus groups held in winter of 2021. To equip all institutions with a toolkit to facilitate focus groups in the future, PPA will also share their protocol with event participants. Registration for this event is now open. Contact Precious Miller with questions. 

This MI BEST Webinar, in partnership with Karie Ward with Fostering Success Michigan, was held on Wednesday, May 12, 2021 from 11am-12:30pm. This conjoined webinar focused on student resilience and the role we all play in student retention and persistence. During the webinar we viewed resilience in the context of the student life cycle, discussed resilience being a skill that can be cultivated, and describe strategies to support student resilience. The recording and PowerPoint slides are available for review. Contact Precious Miller with any questions.

The MI-BEST Webinar: Trauma Informed Institutions was held on Wednesday, June 2nd, 2021 2pm-3pm. During this event we discussed the institutional benefits of being trauma-informed, how the predictive brain influences the work we do, how the loss of love, trust, or safety within students can create defensive behaviors, and ways to create trauma supportive practices. This event additionally included opportunities to connect with colleagues across Michigan. The PowerPoint slides and recording are now available along with additional supportive documents. Contact Precious Miller with questions. 

The MI-BEST Project Lead Touch Base will be held on Tuesday, June 22nd, 2021 from 1pm-2pm. The purpose of this connection will be to update project leads on upcoming activities, project expectations, and to give project leads the opportunity to engage with each other. We will also facilitate cross-college sharing of campus practices and the sharing of student success ideas. Registration for this event is now open. Contact Precious Miller with questions. 

MI-BEST Workshop 5 was held alongside National Center for Inquiry and Improvement on Wednesday, July 14th, 2021 from 8:30-11am. The content shared during this event will center around student-facing and college-facing communication strategies. The goal of this workshop was for participants to consider communication strategies that increase the awareness and access of resources to students. The cross-sharing opportunities that occurred during this event supported participants in design thinking that results in institutional members being empowered to bring resources closer to students. All workshop documents, including the agenda, slide deck and recording, are now available. Contact Precious Miller with questions. 

The MI-BEST Project Lead Touch Base will be held on Thursday, July 29th, 2021 from 9am-10am. The purpose of this connection will be to update project leads on upcoming activities, project expectations, and to give project leads the opportunity to engage with each other. We will also facilitate cross-college sharing of campus practices and the sharing of student success ideas. Registration for this event is now open. Contact Precious Miller with questions. 

Actively engaging the voices of our learners helps us understand and improve the systems that impact their experiences. Public Policy and Associates (PPA) facilitated focus groups at Bay College, Kalamazoo Valley Community College, Lake Michigan College, and Oakland College in Winter/Spring 2021. On Wed., Sept. 15th, 2021 from 3-4pm, PPA shared the Cross-Cutting Results of the focus groups and shared the Capacity Building Guide to support participants in using best practices for future focus group facilitation. To learn more about this insightful event, the webinar recording can be viewed and shared with a colleague. Contact Precious Miller with questions. 

The MI-BEST Project Lead Touch Base will be held on Wednesday, Dec. 8th, 2021 from 9am-10:30am. The purpose of this connection will be to update project leads on upcoming activities, project expectations, and to give project leads the opportunity to engage with each other. We will also facilitate cross-college sharing of campus practices and the sharing of student success ideas. Registration for this event is now open. Contact Precious Miller with questions. 

This webinar was for the leads identified by MI-BEST participating colleges.  The slides and recording are available for participants unable to attend the live event.

MI-BEST Webinar (delivered via Zoom) with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) on Wednesday, April 22nd, 2020 from 3pm-4pm. An overview of the MiBridges benefits and support colleges in identifying which type of holistic supports are needed most by students at your institution. There are three different levels of engagement in which colleges can partner with MDHHS. This webinar reviews those levels of engagement and how you can become a MiBridges partner. The slides and webinar recording are available for participants unable to attend the live recording. 

The MI-BEST Trellis Research Webinar was an introduction to the Trellis Organization, the Trellis Student Financial Wellness Survey, how the data from the survey can be used to impact your campus culture and the survey administration timeline. If you were unable to attend this webinar but would like to view the slides and recording, you can do so now. You can also access the slide deck, the survey question set and participation guidelines. 

The MI-BEST Workshop 1 ( was delivered via Zoom) and facilitated alongside the National Center for Inquiry and Improvement on Wednesday, June 3, 2020 from 8:30-11:30am. Due to the uncertainties of in-person convenings, we used this event as our (virtual) kick-off convening. This virtual workshop included presentations, team time, and breakout sessions. If you were unable to attend or would like to reference information shared at the workshop, you can now view the event documents and recording. 

The MI-BEST Project Lead Touch Base was held on Wednesday, July 8th, 2020 from 9am-10:30am. The purpose of the connection was to update project leads on upcoming activities and project expectations and to give project leads the opportunity to engage with each other. We additionally facilitated cross-college sharing of campus practices and the sharing of student success ideas. The slide deck and notes summary of the Project Lead Touch Base are now available. 

MCCA was proud to collaborate with North Carolina Student Success Center and welcome Dr. Dominique Hammonds in this monumental webinar on July 15, 2020 from 1-2:30pm. During this impactful conversation, we defined trauma and the impact it can have on individuals. We also discussed bandwidth and it's connection to student success both inside and outside of the classroom. Participants received tools that can be immediately implemented as we approach the fall term. The webinar slide deck and recording is now available for your review. 

The MI-BEST Meet ALICE Webinar (delivered via Zoom) with the Michigan Association of United Way was held on Wednesday, July 29, 2020 from 1pm-2pm. This webinar supports colleges in identifying indicators that suggest economic instability, expose college teams to the Michigan ALICE report related local data, and support colleges in their efforts to connect with local United Way organizations. Access the webinar slide deck for reviewing. 
 

The MCSS hosted MI-BEST Workshop 2 with the National Center for Inquiry and Improvement on Wednesday, September 30th, 2020 from 8:30-11:30am.  Colleges were encouraged to schedule a MI-BEST team meeting during this virtual convening. The workshop included a presentation regarding how colleges can use data from the Voluntary Framework of Accountability, conduct a review of the MI-BEST Project and the current focus of the project followed by a panel discussion. Please view the agenda, slide deck  and recording for more information. 

MI-BEST Workshop 3 (delivered via Zoom) with the National Center for Inquiry and Improvement on Wednesday, December 16, 2020 from 8:30-11:30am was a success. Colleges were encouraged to have a representative from the following areas attend this event: MI-BEST lead, faculty representative, student services, advising/counseling, financial aid, and a guided pathways team member. This virtual workshop included opportunities for institutions to connect socially, hear from presenters, and learn from a panel discussion. The agenda and recording is available for review of the workshop.