HFC’s Detroit Promise celebrates 63 graduates

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A Detroit Promise graduate in HFC cap and gown holding their cap out in front of a blue Detroit Promise media back drop.

HFC’s Detroit Promise program proudly announces the graduation of 63 students during the 2023-24 academic year. This is the largest class since the program began in 2016, and represents significant growth for this tuition-free, support-enhanced program for Detroit students.

“These 63 students were all awarded an associate degree. We are equally proud of our students who have earned certifications,” said Detroit Promise Program Coordinator Mark Yancy, Jr. “HFC definitely has the most Detroit Promise students among all community colleges.”

HFC has been a proud participant in the Detroit Promise program since the beginning. More than 600 Detroit Promise students attend HFC. In fact, 66% of all Detroit Promise students enrolled at community colleges choose HFC. Since 2016, HFC has awarded more than 500 credentials (associate degrees or certifications) to Detroit Promise students. The 2024 graduating class has a 55% increase in graduates from 2023.

About the Detroit Promise

The Detroit Promise program ensures that any student graduating from any high school in the city of Detroit will have a tuition-free path to associate degree or technical certificate. The program is administered by the Detroit Regional Chamber in partnership with colleges like HFC.

“HFC follows the Applebaum Family Campus Coach model, which ensures each student will have an individual campus success coach to ensure their academic success,” said Yancy.

Each Detroit Promise student receives a monthly stipend and is connected to a community of Detroit Promise scholars. Detroit Promise arranges last-dollar funding for eligible students to cover the costs of tuition and other mandatory fees. This means that any Pell or Tuition Incentive Program funding will be applied to a student’s tuition and fees first, and will then be followed by additional funding through the Detroit Promise.

Operation Graduation

In 2023, Yancy led his team in implementing Operation Graduation. This initiative was designed to identify students who are close to earning a college credential so the team can provide them with additional targeted support to graduate.

“We identified students with 40-plus credits toward a degree,” said Yancy. “We identified the students, determined the next steps, and created a graduation strategy for each student.”

Operation Graduation strategies included:

  • Dedicating time for a campus success coach to perform a graduation audit for each Detroit Promise student.
  • Reviewing what remaining courses were needed for each student and confirming the course offering(s), date, time, and semester. This gave students time to receive course substitutions for courses that were not offered in the upcoming semester.
  • Enhancing the advising process for students, guiding them into more time-efficient degree programs to expedite degree completion.
  • Creating a plan to determine stackable credentials, such as certificates, while students were working toward degrees.
  • Providing access to emergency funding to support student needs, such as car repairs and food insecurity. Applebaum Family Philanthropy donated $10,000 to support the emergency needs of HFC Detroit Promise students.
  • Providing students with portable wireless internet adapters to use at home for those who do not have reliable internet access -- an important issue for many.
  • Implementing a series of weekly workshops and activities such as time management and budgeting, reinforcing good study habits and skills, preparing students for post-graduation success by better coordinating HFC Career Services and transfer advising for Detroit Promise students.
  • Providing caps and gowns for students who lacked the financial resources to attend graduation. Subsequently, this cost was supported through the Henry Ford College Foundation President’s Fund.

“We even hosted an end-of-year celebration and pep rally on HFC’s main campus for Detroit Promise students the week before finals. Food, music, and games were provided as a final motivator to encourage students to finish strong,” said Yancy. “This will continue to be a long-term strategy for the Detroit Promise at HFC to ensure they are on track toward graduation.”

Dedicated Detroit Promise Advisor

At the start of 2024, HFC created a dedicated Detroit Promise advisor position. This ensures that Detroit Promise students receive customized, up-to-date advising information. Elyse Hogan was promoted to fill this position. Previously a campus success coach, Hogan’s knowledge about Detroit Promise and her relationships with the students brought about stability and advising consistency.

Aside from Yancy and Hogan, the HFC Detroit Promise team includes:

A dedicated space for Detroit Promise students is also important and helps with the graduation success rate of the program. Students feel connected and use the space in the John McDonald Student & Culinary Arts Center (Building M on the main campus) to build community and feel a sense of belonging on the campus.

Reliable transportation continues to be a challenge for many students who depend on city buses to travel to HFC. With support of the Chamber, bus cards are available. The Detroit Promise office is available for students who often have to arrive on campus early or stay late due to available bus schedules. Snacks and other food items for students are available.

Moving forward

For the 2024-25 academic year, the Detroit Promise team wants to create a program that is unique to the student population and is aligned with HFC’s Strategic Plan.

  • Strategy #1: Coaching is now mandatory for all Detroit Promise students. They will consult with their assigned campus success coach before registering for classes.
  • Strategy #2: A mandatory one-day event for Detroit Promise students called the Promise Experience was held in August. This event provided students with the tools and skills to help them navigate their first year at HFC.
  • Strategy #3: Students now have the option of Detroit Promise exclusive course selections. With the creation of Detroit Promise cohorts and recommended Detroit Promise instructors, students will benefit from a collaborative learning community.

New Initiative: Promise 300

The Detroit Promise team has set a goal to increase the number of Detroit Promise students at HFC through an initiative called Promise 300. The objective is to enroll 300 new Detroit Promise students. Yancy has led the creation of a new database of eligible Detroit Promise students who have been admitted to HFC. The Detroit Promise team will begin outreach to these students and help them enroll.

To provide an even more efficient path, Detroit Promise campus success coaches will work with students to identify their desired academic path early. This will also provide an opportunity to align students with enrichment opportunities specific to their chosen academic path.

  • Path 1: The student plans to earn an associate degree and transfer to a 4-year Detroit Promise partner university.
  • Path 2: The student plans to earn an associate degree and enter the workforce.
  • Path 3: The student plans to earn a certificate and enter the workforce.

“Here at HFC, Detroit Promise is more than a scholarship; it’s a community,” said Yancy. “Our mission is to develop leaders and promote academic success, while maintaining a culture of inclusivity and empowerment. We continue evolving to better serve our scholars. This is a very exciting time for our team and our students!”

Related content: The Detroit Promise Path