I work at Merced College Library in the heart of California's Central Valley. Who are our students and how can we best serve them?
About a third of our students are recent high school graduates and the majority of the students in Merced County who attend college (51%) start at Merced College. Roughly a third of our students are returning adults over the age of 25. Interestingly, about 60% of our students are female. The student body is ethnically mixed reflecting the population of the county. The largest ethnic group at Merced College is Hispanic (41 %) followed by whites (29%) Asians (10.6 %) African Americans (5.5 %) and Native Americans (1%).
According to the latest census, 30 percent of the students in our local schools live in poverty and at least 35 percent of the people in our community receive some form of financial assistance. These statistics were taken before the worst of the recession when the employment rate in Merced was around 12 percent. Currently, according to the U.S. Labor Bureau of Statistics, unemployment in Merced County is hovering around 20 percent, about the same as Flint Michigan. We also have the dubious honor of being near the top of every list of those communities most devastated by the foreclosure crisis. According to educational statistics compiled by the California State Postsecondary Commission, we are several percentage points behind the rest of California in almost every economic and educational measurement.
So how do we help the students in our county? Our mission statement says that “students are our focus and we are known by their success.” In the library we encounter the whole diversity of the community with a wide range of abilities and backgrounds. We meet them where they are and bring them further along their educational path by providing resources both electronically and in print. We provide computers to use for research and assignments, and individual and group study spaces. Mostly importantly, we provide individualized instruction and help. We are the academic heart of the institution, and service to our students is our greatest goal.
About a third of our students are recent high school graduates and the majority of the students in Merced County who attend college (51%) start at Merced College. Roughly a third of our students are returning adults over the age of 25. Interestingly, about 60% of our students are female. The student body is ethnically mixed reflecting the population of the county. The largest ethnic group at Merced College is Hispanic (41 %) followed by whites (29%) Asians (10.6 %) African Americans (5.5 %) and Native Americans (1%).
According to the latest census, 30 percent of the students in our local schools live in poverty and at least 35 percent of the people in our community receive some form of financial assistance. These statistics were taken before the worst of the recession when the employment rate in Merced was around 12 percent. Currently, according to the U.S. Labor Bureau of Statistics, unemployment in Merced County is hovering around 20 percent, about the same as Flint Michigan. We also have the dubious honor of being near the top of every list of those communities most devastated by the foreclosure crisis. According to educational statistics compiled by the California State Postsecondary Commission, we are several percentage points behind the rest of California in almost every economic and educational measurement.
So how do we help the students in our county? Our mission statement says that “students are our focus and we are known by their success.” In the library we encounter the whole diversity of the community with a wide range of abilities and backgrounds. We meet them where they are and bring them further along their educational path by providing resources both electronically and in print. We provide computers to use for research and assignments, and individual and group study spaces. Mostly importantly, we provide individualized instruction and help. We are the academic heart of the institution, and service to our students is our greatest goal.
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