NCAN Announces 12 New Member Organizations

The National College Access Network (NCAN) is pleased to announce the addition of 12 new members to the organization. NCAN’s roster extends to 267 organizations in 45 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, Micronesia, and Canada, all dedicated to the belief that every young person  should be able to attain a college education. The Board of Directors of NCAN, a national network of state and local college access programs working to building, strengthening, and empowering communities committed to college access and success so that all students, especially those under-represented in postsecondary education, can achieve their educational dreams, voted to admit these programs for June 1, 2010. The new members are:


Clarke County School District AT&T Graduation Project, GA - The AT&T Graduation Project is a project in the Clarke County School District, partnered with Athens-Clarke County Family Connection Partnership/ Communities In Schools of Athens. The Graduation Project coordinates three graduation teams across the school district serving 350 9th and 10th grade students.

College Readiness 21, WI - College Readiness 21 is a program of the Wisconsin Foundation for Independent Colleges (WFIC). WFIC partners with each of Wisconsin’s 20 independent colleges, Wisconsin companies, nonprofits, youth serving organizations, and school partners. The WFIC model is designed to produce Wisconsin’s future leaders, committed citizens, and dedicated professionals. The model is built on the following three service pillars: Pre-College Services, College Retention Services, and Career Readiness Services. College Readiness 21 (CR21) provides approximately 500 under-served, low-income youth with the skills needed to successfully complete high school and enter an institution of higher education.

ConnectEDU, MA - ConnectEDU is the nation’s leading technology firm dedicated to providing students, educators and employers with comprehensive solutions to successfully navigate education and employment transitions. ConnectEDU's mission is to democratize access to higher education and career opportunities for all students by empowering them and their advisors with the information, resources and collective bargaining power required to realize successful life-transitions.

Family Restoration Project, NY - We are a not-for-profit community organization that is committed to the restoration, reconciliation and well being of multi-cultural urban families in the city of Rochester, New York.  By providing easily accessible, holistic human services our goals are to empower individuals to lead stable and responsible lives, to provide positive intervention within the family structure and to bridge the gap between basic physical, emotional, and spiritual needs with available resources in our community.

Indiana’s College Success Coalition / Learn More Indiana, IN - Learn More Indiana is here to guide Hoosiers on how to get to college so that students of all ages can achieve the dream of a degree. Indiana's College Success Coalition is working to eliminate barriers to help Indiana students get the education they need to succeed in life by increasing the number of Hoosiers who finish high school, enroll in college and earn a degree. Learn More Indiana is home to the Indiana's College Success Coalition, which is the KnowHow2Go Indiana statewide network.

Light of the City Resource Center of Maryland, MD – The Light of the City mission is to expose under-represented and under-served students, middle & high school, to a variety of careers and colleges and provide them with the necessary tools to help them make their dream of becoming successful a reality. Light of the City professional advisors/counselors equip students and families with the knowledge to select, attend and graduate from college. Programming includes the "College & Career Information Hour" every Saturday morning 8am - 9am. WOL1450 or www.wolam.com (listen live only).

Mitchell Kapor Foundation, CA - The Mitchell Kapor (KAY-por) Foundation is a private foundation with the mission to ensure fairness and equity, especially in low-income communities of color. We support organizations and activism which illuminate and mitigate the conditions and dynamics of inequality. Founded by entrepreneur and philanthropist Mitchell Kapor in 1997, the Foundation's grants program focuses on funding organizations which are working to ensure justice and equity for vulnerable and underserved communities, primarily in the San Francisco Bay Area. Nearly all of our grant work focuses on environmental, educational, and civic issues.

Project GRAD Cincinnati, OH - The mission of the program is to ensure a quality public school education for all at risk children in economically disadvantaged communities so that high school graduation rates increase and graduates are prepared to enter and be successful in college. The goal of Project GRAD is to see at least 80 percent of students graduate from high school and 50 percent of these graduates enter and graduate from college. Project GRAD makes a long-term commitment to each public school district and works across all grades from K through 16 to achieve sustainable and systemic change.

Southwest Tennessee Educational Pathways (STEP), TN - STEP is an acronym for Southwest Tennessee Educational Pathways.  It is the intent of STEP to change the educational culture of the region.  The leadership of the REDI region understands the linkages between education, workforce and economic development. STEP, the cornerstone of the REDI initiative, is a two-phase College Access Program.  STEP and REDI are both part of the Southwest Tennessee Development District.

University of Washington Office of Minority & Diversity Affairs, WA - The mission of the Office of Minority Affairs and Diversity is to ensure the access and academic success of a diverse student population through the advancement of knowledge, academic excellence, diversity, and the promotion of values, principles, and a climate that enriches the campus experience for all. At the University of Washington and around the state, our student programs serve: 10,000 middle and high school students as they prepare and plan for college, and over 4,200 undergraduate students with new student orientation, academic advising, instructional support, mentoring and financial aid and scholarship needs.

West Texas A&M University-Amarillo College Talent Search, TX - The mission of College Talent Search is to increase the number of youth from disadvantaged backgrounds who complete high school and enroll in the postsecondary education institution of their choice. The College Talent Search program identifies and assists individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds who have the potential to succeed in higher education. College Talent Search also serves high school dropouts by encouraging them to reenter the education system and complete their education.

White-Williams Scholars, PA –  The current mission is to inspire and support high achieving Philadelphia public high school students of limited financial means to fulfill their potential. The organization serves over 1,000 students each year. In 1917 White-Williams Scholars pioneered the concept of in-school counseling and hired the first counselors for public and parochial elementary and secondary schools. The organization initiated several other services—including vocational guidance and placement, nutritional instruction, and teacher training in social work—which were eventually absorbed by the schools.