When Onyx Degataga left Florida, she was searching for a sense of place. She first attended college in the state in 2013, but she left quickly, then took several years off.

She moved to Colorado and eventually completed an associate degree in outdoor education at Colorado Mountain College. She earned an internship through the U.S. Forest Service and is now on her way to also finishing a bachelor’s degree at CMC.

Degataga’s higher education journey has been possible because CMC is what is known as a dual mission college. These institutions typically serve many kinds of students and offer a variety of programs, from short-term credentials and associate degrees to bachelor’s degrees in liberal arts and master’s degrees.

Experts say this model helps meet students where they are and gives them momentum to complete their programs, as they don’t have to transfer to other institutions to complete higher-level credentials. Moreover, the dual mission model may help protect enrollment by presenting potential students with an easy and attractive model.

“The model buffers some of those really high peaks and valleys,” said Carrie Hauser, CMC’s president.

For Degataga, the college has provided not just a helpful academic model but the support she needs to succeed.

“There’s a lot of mentors here who have seen my potential and wanted to invest in that and it’s a very reciprocal interaction between us,” Degataga said. “You allow me to thrive, and I will keep giving back to the community.”

The dual mission model has the potential to encourage students to stay enrolled and work toward completion, according to Chris Mullin, strategy director of data and measurement at the Lumina Foundation.

“It allows students to create what we call academic momentum by embedding academic attainment throughout the learning process,” Mullin said.

At Weber State University in Utah, about 70% of students who finish associate degrees there go on to finish their bachelor’s degrees with the university, said Ravi Krovi, the institution’s provost and vice president of academic affairs. The institution is one of three dual mission colleges in Utah’s public higher education system.

Read the full article about dual mission college model by Lilah Burke at Higher Education Dive.