A contribution from AT&T to The Coffeyville Community College Foundation is providing start-up costs for “Mission Math 2012,” an intensive week-long program that will help students with low math scores improve their proficiency.

The inaugural Mission Math program will serve the Native American student population and plans call for eventually expanding the program to the entire student body.  A week-long, total math immersion program will enable students to improve their present level of math performance and ultimately help them increase their math placement scores as well as save them the time and cost of enrolling in a semester-long developmental course.

Coffeyville Community College President Linda Moley described Mission Math as a “boot camp” style environment designed to achieve the greatest increase in math proficiency in the shortest period of time.  “We hope to light a math fire in our students and will encourage our Mission Math graduates to become mentors to other students,” Moley said.

State Sen. Dwayne Umbarger (R-Thayer), commended Coffeyville Community College for the Mission Math project.  “Math proficiency is extremely important to any course of education,” Umbarger said.  “Math is the foundation for many business and science careers.  With Mission Math, students will have an opportunity to jump start their proficiency and not fall behind.”

State Rep. Virgil Peck (R-Tyro), said he is happy to see Coffeyville Community College implement this program for its students.  “Math proficiency is a critical element of education and I am pleased to see CCC is emphasizing math through this program,” Peck said.  “Programs that help students succeed benefit not just the individual, but our communities and our state as well.  I encourage students selected for this program to embrace the learning opportunity.”

“We are pleased to support Coffeyville Community College and the outstanding education it provides on campus and through its many on-line classes,” said Terry Diebolt, AT&T director of external affairs.  “Mission Math is a great match for the on going efforts of AT&T’s Aspire program, which encourages students to complete high school and seek higher education or skilled trades so they are better prepared for success in the workforce.”

Mission Math addresses the epidemic of students who come to college without the skills to excel in college-level math.  Students, either through low ACT scores or Compass Test scores, are being placed into Elementary Math courses. “Freshman students scoring into development math have ranged between 57-77% of full-time, enrolled students in the last three years.  These alarming numbers have established a trend that illustrates today’s students’ struggle with mathematics,” said Delia Northup CCC College Counselor/Academic Advisor.

“The goal of Mission Math 2012 is to increase the student’s math skills, increase retention and passage of math classes, decrease student’s anxiety about math, save the student the cost and time of taking developmental courses and finally to make the student proficient in math,” said Native American Leadership Coach Taylor Davis. The first session of Mission Math is scheduled for July 23-27, 2012.  If you are a Native American student who may qualify please contact Taylor Davis at [email protected] or 620.251.7700, X 2092.