Program and Member Activities
Coaches advocate for students and foster connections, integrate into the campus support structure, and engage in data-informed monitoring to direct their outreach.
Together, coaches and students will:
- create a completion plan that will outline a strategy for FAFSA completion
- identify a student's support team
- structure a schedule for class attendance and coursework submission
- define a plan for course selection and registration for the next semesters.
It is estimated that Completion Coaches will engage with each student for 16 hours over the course of the academic year. These interactions will include 1:1 meetings to advance on benchmarks and address challenges that arise; group activities and meetings to boost sense of belonging and self-efficacy; and technology-based interaction (text, email and phone) to build focus on dates and deadlines.
Each member is also responsible for tracking the engagement of at least 10 student volunteers, participating in either National Days of Service or campus-sponsored service activities.
Host Campus Eligibility
Host campuses must be an accredited college operating in the state of Michigan that offers associate degrees and/or certificate programs.
Preference for host campus selection will be given to campuses who demonstrate an active partnership with their Local College Access Network (LCAN), Promise Zone, or other community partner.
Host Campus Application Submission
Host campus applications for the 2020-21 program year were due Aug. 14. We are no longer accepting applications for this program year. Host campus applications for 2021-22 will open in spring 2021.
Coach Eligibility
College Completion Coaches are designated as AmeriCorps members and must be eligible to serve as an AmeriCorps member. AmeriCorps members must possess an associate or bachelor’s degree, and ideally would have student experience on the campus where they will serve as a Completion Coach. AmeriCorps also requires that all members be a United States citizen, a national, or a legal permanent resident and at least 18 years of age. Members must be able to pass a background check.
Coach Application Submission
We will begin accepting college completion coach applications for the 2021-22 service year in July.
Finance and Administration
MCAN will serve as the employer of record for all AmeriCorps Completion Coaches and will manage administrative elements of the program. Host campuses will assign a designated site supervisor to communicate with MCAN and provide regular supervision and guidance to the AmeriCorps member(s).
To build strong partnerships, each host campus will sign a three-year memorandum of understanding and provide a tiered, annual cost share: year one $10,000 per member, year two $12,500 per member, and year three $15,000 per member. For campuses hosting more than one coach concurrently, a $10,000 annual flat cost share will be required per additional coach.
Host campuses will be required to provide each member with a designated office space, a laptop computer, phone and internet access and office supplies suitable for carrying out the activities of their service year. Host campuses will allow coaches to access, monitor, and contribute to student records to measure program benchmarks and identify needed interventions.