Classification: Two-year public college or university; Hispanic-Serving Institution.

Modules Used:

• Module 1: Get a Grip on Your Finances: Smart Spending for Students.
• Module 2: Seek out Financial Aid: Funding Resources and Financial Obligations.
• Module 3: Work Hard but Smart: How to Be Successful in School and Graduate on Time.
• Module 4: Take Control of Your Future: Finishing School and Repaying Your Loans.
• Module 5: Now That You Are About to Graduate: Taking Control of Your Life.

How Used: Student-services workshops.

Program Description: Improving student retention was the driving force behind the decision to implement USA Funds^® Life Skills^® at EMCC. In response to invitations to assess the interest of all student-services professionals in the program, counselors, learning-support staff, the student-success coordinator and financial-aid professionals participated in training to deliver the program.

Subsequently, campus staff elected to offer the modules as workshops that would be open to all students. Recruitment for the workshops is accomplished through advertising and word of mouth. Students who failed to make satisfactory academic progress during their first year are required to enroll in workshops recommended to them by the appeals committee. The appeals committee often recommends budgeting, study skills or career planning for these students. Each workshop session lasts approximately one hour.

In addition, USA Funds Life Skills is used with two high-school outreach programs. In one program, a career teacher at a charter high school uses the materials with her students. In the other program, USA Funds Life Skills materials are delivered by staff at an alternative high school on the EMCC campus.

Staffing Requirements: Professional staff from the student-services division delivers Modules 1-5 as workshops.

Recommendations: The associate dean of students emphasizes that a team approach is necessary for successful implementation of USA Funds Life Skills. For example, the involvement of the counseling staff is extremely important in the delivery of the program. She suggests structuring a workshop around specific student needs. For example, students who don't have a career path when they arrive at EMCC tend to be less successful, so developing a career workshop around one of the USA Funds Life Skills modules made sense for EMCC. The senior associate dean of student services indicated that the program holds great promise for students who fail to make satisfactory progress during their first year.

Campus Contact:
Lauren Shellenbarger, Senior Associate Dean of Student Services
Phone: (623) 935-8808
E-mail: lauren.shellenbarger@emcmail.maricopa.edu