For the third consecutive year, Montgomery County Community College (Montco) has been named one of the Most Promising Places to Work in Community Colleges in the nation, according to a study released by the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD) and Diverse: Issues in Higher Education. Montco is one of only 18 community/technical colleges selected for this national recognition.

 According to NISOD’s website, the annual award “recognizes community and technical college exceptional commitments to diversity (including race/ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, disability, age, class, veterans, and thought) through best-in-class student and staff recruitment and retention practices, inclusive learning and working environments, and meaningful community service and engagement opportunities.”

Montco is dedicated to fostering a welcoming campus community, embracing diversity and ensuring equal opportunity in its educational programs, activities and employment practices.

“This award recognizes the ongoing commitment and work of our faculty and staff to make Montgomery County Community College a friendly, comfortable place for everyone,” said Dr. Kevin Pollock, Montco President. “We are pleased to receive this award for the third consecutive year.”

One way Montco promotes diversity is through its Faculty Diversity Fellowship program. This program provides minority scholars in the early stages of their careers with the opportunity to develop their teaching skills at Montco while they continue to work on or complete their terminal-level degrees. Faculty fellows receive mentoring from colleagues, and in return, they participate as mentors in Montco’s Minority Student Mentoring Initiative.

Additionally, Montco launched its OneMontco Unity Series for 2017-18, which featured a yearlong series of diversity-related events, activities and speakers. The series started with a Unity Rally followed by the presentation of the nationally acclaimed program, “The Defamation Experience,” an interactive courtroom drama that explores the issues of race, religion, gender, class and the law. Other events included the Presidential Symposium featuring astronomer Dr. Derrick Pitts and his discussion about the diversity of the universe, International Day and an English as a Second Language (ESL) fair.

As a symbol of the College community’s commitment to diversity, the 2018 graduates, as well as faculty, administrators, staff and trustees, wore multi-colored diversity cords at the Commencement ceremony.

In addition to Montco, other colleges honored include Central Piedmont Community College, Coastline Community College, Community College of Allegheny County, Community College of Aurora, El Centro College, GateWay Community College, Greenville Technical College, Harrisburg Area Community College, Lone Star College-University Park, McLennan Community College, National Park College, Northwest Vista College, Pierpont Community and Technical College, Pitt Community College, Rochester Community and Technical College, Wake Tech Community College and Western Texas College.

 NISOD is a membership organization committed to promoting and celebrating excellence in teaching, learning, and leadership at community and technical colleges. Since 1984, Diverse: Issues In Higher Education has been the nation’s premier publication covering the issues pertaining to underrepresented minorities in American higher education.