A participating campus of the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge, Middlesex Community College has hired Milissa Duncan as the new Coordinator of Civic and Service Learning. Most recently the Competency Based Education Coach and adjunct faculty in English and Developmental English at Northern Essex Community College, Duncan is excited to lead MCC’s efforts in civic and service learning.

“Civic engagement gives students firsthand knowledge of the complicated issues we are facing in the 21st century America and affords them the opportunity to actively contribute to community-based organizations that are working to address these problems,” Duncan said. “Through civic engagement, students apply their academic knowledge and skills in real-world situations and develop foundational career skills, as well as their professional network for future job searches.”

In her role, Duncan will help connect students to experiences in nonprofit and government organizations. She hopes to teach them more about what is happening in their communities and work to address the issues while using the knowledge and skills they learn in the classroom. Working with faculty, Duncan hopes to be a resource for including relevant service-learning opportunities into the curriculum.

“Through civic engagement, students apply their academic knowledge and skills in real-world situations and develop foundational career skills, as well as their professional network for future job searches.” - Milissa Duncan, Coordinator of Civic and Service Learning

One of her goals is also to encourage the MCC community to get out to vote, especially in the upcoming presidential election. The college is involved with ALL IN to increase both voter registration and participation because of how important they are to “maintaining a healthy democracy,” according to Duncan.

“MCC students and their families are directly impacted by many governmental decisions and political policies pertaining to education, student loan debt, healthcare, childcare, and economics and employment,” she said. “Voting gives them influence and a political voice to influence those decisions. Today’s students are the future of our democracy, and we want to foster an ethic of life-long civic responsibility and empower students to make a difference in their local, state and national governments.”

This spring and summer, Duncan is focused on meeting members of the MCC community and connecting with local organizations. During the college’s Spring Fling, she met with students at a voter registration table. She is building a campus-wide coalition of students and employees to support voting and democratic participation, as well as worked with the MCC Libraries to create a resource guide for voting and election information.

Duncan holds a Master of Education in Teaching, Curriculum and Learning Environments from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education, and earned a bachelor’s in English Literature from Boston University.

When the role opened at MCC, Duncan jumped at the chance to work in a service-learning position. Proud to work at a community college, she looks forward to having the opportunity to be “constantly learning,” from MCC’s faculty, students and community members, she said.

“Community colleges are incredibly dynamic institutions that are constantly adapting and working to build a better future for our students and communities,” she said. “They are inclusive and affirming, offering educational and career opportunities to a diverse range of students who will be the future of this nation. There are also a lot of talented faculty and staff at MCC with a wealth of diverse and interesting experiences.”