New Dean Wants to Ensure Students’ Success at College

COURT HOUSE – Sun beamed Sept. 3 as some of the 980 students at Atlantic Cape Community College locked their cars under rows of angled solar panels that generate electricity for the campus on Court House-South Dennis Road.
It was the second day of the fall semester. Dr. Mitchell Levy, vice president of Student Affairs and Branch Campus Management, also dean of the local campus, was monitoring events here as well as in Mays Landing and Atlantic City. In the job he began July 1, Levy wants to banish the notion of a “satellite campus.” All are equally important to college President Dr. Peter Mora and Levy, he said in an interview in his third floor office.
Levy noted that some tend to “feel like step children,” if they are not at the Mays Landing campus. Each student is important, whether full-time or non-credit. “If you are one of our students, you are here,” smiled Levy.
“It’s very simple. The charge to me from (President) Peter Mora, which I accepted gladly, was that the energy and vitality of activity and community, which is easier to see at Mays Landing, because there are more people and staff, is what we want to do here to replicate that. There is no reason we can’t have the same menu diversity here,” he said.
He said there are between 80 and 100 instructors at the local campus imparting knowledge to those 980 students.
“It is not as much as we can handle, but it’s a good number giving opportunity to that many students. I know there is room for more,” he said. “I think we could be pulling in some more, and different cohorts of students,” said Levy.
Working in conjunction with Dr. Richard Perniciaro, vice president, Planning, Research, Facilities & Executive Support, “an expert on economics and trends,” said Levy; it is his hope that the college can reach an older group of students than the traditional post-high school teens and twentysomethings.
“The demographics are changing in Cape May County. That raises the question, if the population is getting older how are their needs different than the 18-22-year-olds? What programs, what services we might offer?” he said.
While Levy is responsible for three campuses, Tammy DeFranco is director, Cape May County Campus student services and campus management. During a Sept. 3 visit, she was busy assisting a student in the main lobby.
One of the ideas Levy was asked to consider was to bring speakers, perhaps from the college staff, to the campus for lectures that are open to the public. He would also like to see the campus utilized as a conference center.
“What I don’t want to do is guess at what people want,” said Levy. “I think it is more effective to go to the community and meet with the people.”
Aware there are some adult (55-plus) communities in the area, Levy said, “Everyone tells me there are a lot of individuals who want to be active, they are looking for things to do. I want to talk to those people, go to them at their facility for a group meeting to see what they would like to hear about,” he said.
A concept he and his wife encountered was a “one-day university.” The idea is, for a set amount, workshops continue throughout the day. Enrollees can take as many of them as they please. Topics might range from Beetles to Beethoven, conflict in the Middle East, and the psychology of happiness.
“I have to tell you, when we were looking at who was there, there were a lot of people 60, 70, 80 years old. Not all, but a lot, seemed like a big portion attending were retired, grandparents, who maybe never had the opportunity to go to college,” said Levy. That idea arose from a visit to the originator’s children’s high school. Then, talking with his wife’s parents, they expressed a wish that they, too, could have the opportunity to visit a school.
“That generation, for different social reasons, was not going to college as much, but times have changes,” said Levy.
He acknowledged most students are straight from high school, but even they are starting a bit later than in the past. Some, for financial reasons, have to work to get money to pay for their education. To assist those students, Levy said there are many forms of financial assistance, grants and scholarships.
While those exist, Levy noted, “From my experience many don’t get used. People don’t tap into them. If you’re willing to research, and probe, you can probably find something (assistance),” he continued.
Levy wants students to be focused on a career path, because that makes a student goal-oriented. They are more likely to success than a student who is merely attending because they want a degree.
While Atlantic Cape is geared for a two-year program to award an associate degree, many who are graduated from high school lack college-level knowledge to advance. Thus, they spend extra time and money taking remedial courses before they can enter their chosen course of study.
“Graduation rates are abysmal, it’s a real struggle,” said Levy. “We know we need to focus. Peter Mora supports getting students connected to career goals as soon as possible because right away we want to give you the opportunity to think about what you are coming to college. What is your goal you are trying to accomplish?” he said.
Levy tells students “When school gets tough, and at some point school gets tough for all of us, if you are working toward something you are more likely to stick it out. If you are not sure, it’s too easy to walk away.”
Toward that direction, at the local campus, as in the other two, Success and Career Centers are being organized. In them, students will find an array of material, including DVDs and books as well as computers dedicated to students seeking career exploration.
The college has purchased career software for those students who “want to figure what career is right for them,” Levy said.
During a recent student orientation, Levy said he told students, “Whatever you are passionate about, whatever you love to do, we want to help you figure that out. I love the fact that I get paid to come to school and help students. I’m fortunate to have found that. The quicker we help them (students) figure out what they want to do that is when they are more likely to be graduating.”
When Levy meets with families of students, he is often asked the question, “How much should my son or daughter be working if they are going to school full time?
“If there is really financial need, that’s one thing, but if they can afford to not have to work more than 20 hours a week, that’s my recommendation. If you think about it, if we created a recipe to be successful I would not say take five classes and work 40 hours,” he added.