Dr. Molly Springer has been at City College four short months, but she has worked to help students progress through- out her 20-year career in higher education.
Springer joined City College in February as the first full-time dean of Student Equity, Success, Support and Student Development. Before Springer, interim dean Aiden Ely filled the position for three years.
Finding voices that are often unheard is important to Springer. Her doctoral dissertation was on Native American student services and student organizations, and how important they are for retention. As a Native American of Osage descent, she says she’s proud that she has served historically marginalized students.
“I’m blessed to be offered the position to do this work. It’s really inspirational,” she says.
Springer most recently worked at California State University, Monterey Bay, where she was the coordinator of learning communities, and before that as assistant dean of students and director of the Native American program at Dartmouth University.
According to Springer, she is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma and is also the co-chair of the National Coalition for Advancement of Natives in Higher Education.
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Her position at City College oversees a pair of institutional programs — the Student Equity Plan and the Success, Support and Student Development Plan, also known as SSSP or Triple-SP. Student equity programs work to ensure that societal or personal issues do not hinder student ability for educational success, according to Springer.
Academically students are measured in five areas: access, course completion, English as a Second Language and basic skills completion, degree and certificate completion, and transfers.
Springer works closely with the Planning Research and Institutional Effectiveness Office (PRIE), which collects information on all aspects of life at City College. Data from PRIE will identify where funds from the Equity and SSSP plans need to go.
“They’re her projects — we just crunch the numbers for her,” says Marybeth Buechner, dean of PRIE. “Research is critical in helping Dr. Springer properly target her programs, knowing something anecdotally versus systematically.”
According to Buechner, Springer works with various departments to create programs that will foster better levels of equity for disproportionately impacted populations. PRIE will continue to collect data to help refine the programs, helping the programs reach target student populations more efficiently.
The programs are funded by the state but not specifically directed by the state, according to Springer.
“The state is not saying each cam- pus needs to do it this way. It’s saying [use] our formula [to] find out what your disproportionately impacted populations are, what things you’re doing for them, and do them differently.”
Springer notes that her job “is to help institutionalize and administer that plan, to help write it and bring people together.”
Bringing people together is important, Springer believes. She works to ensure that each department understands the data coming from PRIE, and works with each of the area deans on the specific issues and problems each department faces.
“What we’re seeing is not very surprising,” says Buechner, “but it’s important to see the degree to which there are achievement gaps for different demo- graphic groups.”
There are already multiple campus projects in place to help with student equity, Springer notes.
“We have about eight projects in math, 15 projects in English and literature. We have projects under business, counseling services — just a whole host of things.”
Springer says she is interested in getting a variety of voices together to discuss ways to advance student equity. Her department hosted weekly events throughout April for students to get involved in identifying issues and proposing their own solutions.
“It’s a chance for faculty and students to communicate,” says Springer. “It’s about the ebb and flow that goes about
on your campus. Here at City College everyone that I’ve met seems incredibly generous, [and] they are all well inten- tioned and want to do wonderful work for our students.”
