When I began teaching at Pellissippi, it didn’t take long to fall in love with our students, and to appreciate the tremendous—and unique—strengths they have to offer. I also became painfully aware, though, of my need to more fully understand the challenging circumstances my students often face while pursuing their college coursework.
Some of those difficulties stem from financial struggles encountered by so many. During the Fall 2016 semester, for example, a significant portion of our 10,244 students experienced some degree of economic instability while working towards their academic goals.
- 35% of the PSCC student population—that’s 3,606 of our students—received the Pell Grant, which is need-based aid.
- The average family income for those 3,606 students was a mere $26,169. In case you wondered, the 2016 Federal Poverty Guideline for a family of four is $24,300.
If I teach 120 students this semester, I can estimate that 42 of them are likely to be grappling with the many challenges that accompany economic instability while they are taking my course.
Those aren’t numbers; they are faces of the individuals in my classrooms. The numbers simply compel me to stay mindful of these realities as I work with these students each day, and to continue learning—both from research and from you, my colleagues—about how to best support them.
It’s for this reason that, beginning in June 2014, our administration approved the creation of Pellissippi’s Partners for Student Potential (PPSP)—a campus initiative offering professional development opportunities that deepen and broaden participants’ understanding of PSCC’s unique student population and ourselves. PPSP events have included Bridges Out of Poverty workshops, the Cost of Poverty Experience—College Edition, a range of faculty and staff in-service sessions, focus groups, and semester-long reading groups at four of our site campuses.
Response to PPSP events has been strong: Since January 2016, not only have over 300 faculty, staff, students and community members participated in 15 events, but some have also chosen to serve on two newly developed PPSP Sub-Groups led by Moira Connelly and Angel Hughes. These teams are exploring the feasibility of assisting our students in the areas of childcare and textbooks.
Yet even as the college continues bolstering campus and community resources to support our students, one question keeps re-emerging:
**What can I do to support students—especially in my interactions with those I teach and serve?**
If you, like me, often ponder that question, I hope you’ll join the conversation by participating in the PPSP Reading Group meeting at Hardin Valley. In these weekly meetings, we will will discuss a selection of readings by a various researchers that address this question in two ways:
- by showing how adversity –and the harsh or unstable environments often resulting from such circumstances— can impact an individual’s physical, emotional, and mental development; and
- by exploring measurable practices and approaches that we--PSCC faculty and staff--and others are already implementing and can continue developing as we work with our students.
The value of these discussions increases with the diverse experiences offered by our participants, which means everyone is welcome.
If you are interested in learning more about the Reading Group, please attend one of the following informational sessions:
- Wednesday, 1/25 from 7:30-8:20 a.m. in AL 227
- Wednesday, 1/25 from 12:00-12:50 p.m. in AL 227
- Wednesday, 1/25 from 4:10-5:00 p.m. in AL 227
- Thursday, 1/26 from 3:30-4:20 p.m. in AL 225
Please use this link to indicate which session you plan to attend: http://doodle.com/poll/yf33u4xieh8w82zb
As always, feel free to contact me with any questions, and thank you for considering this opportunity.
I'll close by saying how deeply grateful I am to be in the company of such tremendous dedication to the good of our students.
P.S. Reading Groups at site campuses are also forming. Each of those groups will be choosing their own focus. For the Magnolia Reading Group, please contact Moira Connelly (maconnelly@pstcc.edu) and/or Richard Patton (rpatton@pstcc.edu); for the Strawberry Plains Reading Group, please contact Tracy Rees (trrees@pstcc.edu). If there are individuals at Division Street and/or Blount County who would like to facilitate meetings at those locations, please let me know. I will be happy to help in any way I can.
Sincerely,
Anne Pharr
Associate Professor, English Department
College Success Program Coordinator
Student Success Coordinator
Partners for Student Potential Coordinator
Pellissippi State Community College
865-694-6509
Pellissippi State Community College
865-694-6509
bapharr@pstcc.edu
