Faces of One Million Degrees: ECMC Foundation
August 21, 2017
"We do not work with many organizations that are able to provide such excellent services to such a large and diverse group of students across such a wide geographical area. . . We're excited to see their work continue to expand and reach more students."
ECMC is a foundation that provides generous support to OMD, and seeks "to impact the educational landscape at large." Program directors Jennifer and Sarah say ECMC chose to support One Million Degrees because they liked OMD's "commitment to provide thoughtful, comprehensive, career advice and planning," and because "successful transitions from community college are vital. OMD ensures this safe passage through its wheelhouse of resources, covering financial, career, academic, and personal supports." They see that OMD and ECMC share the values of measurement and evaluation, demonstrated by the randomized control trial that OMD is launching, as well as innovation and entrepreneurship, as OMD begins to look at opportunities for expansion.
While ECMC is a large and impactful foundation, Jennifer and Sarah recognize that OMD is special: "We do not work with many organizations that are able to provide such excellent services to such a large and diverse group of students across such a wide geographical area. . . OMD is positioned to drive the statewide college success rate and, in turn, strengthen the region's middle class." With ECMC's support, Jennifer and Sarah hope that OMD will be able to continue making progress to further their supports with more career information and advising, as well as strategizing for potential expansion and gaining recognition: "We're excited to see their work continue to expand and reach more students."
ECMC has been a crucial partner as OMD has grown and developed as an organization, and OMD has already made "significant progress with the project [ECMC] funded." Sarah and Jennifer hope that OMD can "continue the great work already underway."