In the 12th episode of the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) Pillars of Change Podcast, Commissioner Susan Looney, President of Reading Area Community College, hosted DeAnna Burt-Nanna, President of Monroe Community College (MCC) in New York. 

The two discussed MCC’s initiatives to support student parent learners. MCC is one of four U.S. community colleges collaborating with the national nonprofit Education Design Lab to help raise completion rates for single mother learners, and it is the first college in the U.S. to collect data on their students’ marital and parental status to uncover student parent needs. In spring 2022, MCC launched Single Mom Success Design Challenge to provide critical holistic support and referrals to community resources for single mom learners. 

The college serves more than 23,000 students across four campuses and offers more than 100 degree and certificate programs.