Two TRiO Students from West Charlotte High School (Charlotte, NC) named Gates Millennium Scholars

Destiny Planter and Raeven Henry are two extraordinary seniors graduating at the top of their class from West Charlotte High School in Charlotte, NC.  Both are enrolled in Communities In Schools’ Talent Search program and work with their Talent Search Counselor, Stephanie Cafaro.  Destiny and Raeven recently learned that they are Gates Millennium Scholarship recipients.  They will attend UNC-Chapel Hill in the fall.  Raeven hopes to attend medical school and Destiny aspires to become a child psychologist.

On overcoming challenges and achieving success at West Charlotte, Destiny says “There were times I didn’t have the resources that others are equipped with, but I learned to never use my environment as an excuse.”

Raeven admits to feeling overwhelmed as she completed the Gates Scholarship application.  Upon learning she won the award she said “I am grateful for the opportunity and I hope that my higher education will allow me to be competitive in a global community.”

The Gates Millennium Scholars Program selects 1,000 talented students each year to receive a good-through-graduation scholarship to use at any college or university of their choice.  The award also provides recipients with personal and professional development through their leadership program, along with academic support throughout their college career.

A KnowHow2GO event, held March 8-9 at Westfield Gateway Mall in Lincoln, Nebraska, promoted college preparation to nearly 300 students from across the state who were in Lincoln for the Boys State Basketball Tournament. The event featured games, college giveaways, college planning materials, and appearances by Miss Nebraska and Miss Teen Nebraska. EducationQuest staff also talked to students and parents how to prepare for college.

On March 27, EducationQuest conducted a College Access Symposium for middle school, high school and agency professionals. The event provided college access strategies and best practices designed to help more students make college possible. Nebraska Governor Dave Heineman welcomed attendees to the event and emphasized the need to increase the state’s college-going rate. The Symposium also featured a session for representatives from high schools interested in applying for an EducationQuest College Access Grant.  Nearly 300 professionals from across Nebraska attended the event.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Jeff North:   jnorth@projectdiscovery.org

Governor proposes drastic funding cuts to Project Discovery; a successful college access program; statewide leaders fight to save the public-private partnership

Project Discovery would suffer devastating budget reductions if the General Assembly adopts Governor Robert F. McDonnell’s pending recommendation.  State leaders and Project Discovery advocates are asking the General Assembly to save the program by rejecting McDonnell’s proposal.

Project Discovery is an acclaimed post-secondary access program currently offered through 22 partner agencies throughout Virginia in grades 4 to 12.  Project Discovery counsels students to stay in and graduate high school, and provides resources and tools for students to successfully make the transition to post-secondary education.

The Governor’s proposal, if adopted, will significantly curtail the program’s effectiveness.  “We urge the General Assembly to save Project Discovery,” Board President Barry Simmons of Blacksburg stated. He continued, “Since 1988, we have positively impacted the lives of over 33,000 students.” 

Senator Charles W. Carrico, Sr (R-Galax) said, “Project Discovery is and has been an education lifeline for thousands of students in our region.  I am urging my colleagues to protect Project Discovery for future generations.”

Dr. Brandy Rutledge, Senior Biostatistician at WESTAT, and a Project Discovery alum said: “Project Discovery help put me on the path to college and professional success.  I urge our Commonwealth to save this invaluable initiative.” Rutledge continued, “It helped to change my life, and continues to do the same for new students each year.”

State, local school and private funding support the programs.  The state is currently appropriating $619,650 annually (FY 2012).  The governor proposed zeroing out state support for Project Discovery in his introduced FY 2012-14 budget, but the General Assembly restored $350,000 annually for each year of the biennium - FY 2013 and FY 2014.  However, the governor, in his recent budget amendment actions released on Saturday, May 5, proposes reducing state support for Project Discovery to only $175,000 annually.

Project Discovery serves students from predominantly economically disadvantaged households who are potential first generation college attendees.  Project Discovery, through its partner agencies, stresses the importance of education, provides workshops to improve basic skills and assists students on the complex process of completing applications for financial aid and admission to post-secondary institutions.  As a result, a greater number of students continue on to post-secondary institutions and receive the benefits of higher education.

The General Assembly reconvenes on Monday, May 14 to consider the Governor’s budget proposals.  If either the House or Senate fails to approve a Governor’s proposed budget amendment, the provision fails.

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More information about Project Discovery:

Project Discovery, in collaboration with local school systems and counselors, provides services annually to over 2,000 students.  Over the 14 years, 86% of the programs graduating seniors have gone on to higher education.  Last year, 91% of the program participants were economically disadvantaged and or potential first generation college attendees.

Project Discovery students also succeed in higher education at a higher rate than do the general population of students.  Additional data from the Virginia Department of Education reports that 62% of all students who go on to college within two years of high school graduation have earned one year of college credit while only 49% of the economically disadvantaged meet the same mark.  By comparison, 58% of Project Discovery students are still in institutions of higher education after one year as reported by the National Student Clearinghouse. 

Last year 100% of Project Discovery’s 554 seniors graduated from high school on time while only about 87% of the general population graduates on time.  And when compared to the on-time graduation rate for students from economically-disadvantaged families, Project Discovery’s 100% on-time graduation rate far exceeds the statewide rate of 80% for those from economically-disadvantaged backgrounds.  Approximately 75% of Project Discovery students are from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.  More significantly, statewide, only four out of ten economically disadvantaged students continue their education beyond high school while eight out of ten low income Project Discovery participants continue their education beyond high school.

Beyond 12’s CEO, Alexandra Bernadotte, was recently selected as an Ashoka fellow, one of the highest honors for social entrepreneurs in the world! Ashoka is a global association of the world’s leading social entrepreneurs—individuals with innovative, large-scale ideas for addressing social problems. We are thrilled and humbled by this honor, and see it as true testament to the importance of our mission. Congrats to the other new Ashoka U.S. fellows! 

http://usa.ashoka.org/introducing-new-ashoka-fellows

Beyond 12's CEO, Alexandra Bernadotte, recently won the Jefferson Award for Public Service! Check out this CBS 5 segment about Beyond 12's work. It highlights our CEO, two of our college coaches as well as one of our amazing college students. A special thank you to the wonderful team at Full Circle Fund for nominating us for this prestigious award. While we are excited that this award highlights the work of our amazing team and students, we are even more excited about what this recognition means for the national movement to increase the number of low-income and first-generation students who earn a college degree. 

http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2012/04/25/jefferson-award-winner-keeps-bay-area-college-students-focused/

April 6, 2012

Boston, MA - David L. Marcus and other prominent speakers to tackle college access challenge for low-income students in New England at May 23rd briefing, hosted by Let's Get Ready (www.letsgetready.org).

Unless higher education becomes more accessible for the growing low-income and minority populations in the United States, social inequality will inevitably continue to widen.  To address this issue, Let’s Get Ready is hosting, “The Challenges of College Access & Success Briefing", a panel discussion featuring leading educators and officials involved with this issue.  The program will highlight the availability and/or lack of college access and success resources for New England low income and first generation college students. The event will take place on Wednesday, May 23, 2012 at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, from 6:00-8:00 pm.

David L. Marcus, Pulitzer Prize–winning former education writer for U.S. News & World Report will moderate the discussion. Panelists include Nicholas Donohue, President & CEO of Nellie Mae Foundation, Greg Darnieder, Special Assistant and Advisor to U.S. Secretary of Education on College Access, Janice Bonanno, Associate Vice President for Student Services and Dean of Students at Bunker Hill Community College, Dr. Mary Bourque, Superintendent for Chelsea City Schools, and Wendy Ault, former Maine House of Representative and Executive Director of the MELMAC Foundation.

The discussion will focus on the unique challenges facing low-income and underrepresented students in pursuit of a college degree; the barriers to college completion that are prevalent at a time when education in the U.S. lags behind other countries; and innovative ways that higher education institutions and organizations are providing guidance to students applying to and attending college. 

Educational leaders are thrilled that this topic is being publicly addressed in Boston.  Karin Elliott, Executive Director of The National Partnership for Educational Access, feels that “coming together to share information and knowledge through an event such as this briefing is critical for success in the field of college access. We know that we can achieve more as a field if we collaborate, and honest conversation and awareness of the challenges is the first step on the road to change.”

Panelist Nicholas Donohue says, “I grew up in a family that experienced the extremes of class and wealth – both the good fortune of privilege and the challenge of making ends meet. That background has informed my belief in social justice, in the idea that everyone, regardless of race and class, should have the opportunity to learn and achieve.”

                                                                ###

About Let’s Get Ready

Let’s Get Ready offers 65 programs throughout the Northeast and is the largest non-profit organization in the U.S. to focus on providing free SAT preparation and college advising to low-incoming students.  The organization expands college access by providing a 5:1 student to teacher classroom setting to first generation and/or low-income high school students with intensive free SAT preparation and support throughout the admissions and financial aid process.  All of this is done within a highly cost-effective model that capitalizes on the enthusiasm of volunteer college students.    

There is significant Let’s Get Ready student enrollment at every Massachusetts state college and university.  Let’s Get Ready's results in New England are impressive -- In 2011, 1,191 students increased their SAT scores by an average of 119 points.  Over 93% percent of Let’s Get Ready high school students went directly to college after high school and 72% were the first in their families to attend college.

About David Marcus, Event Moderator

David Marcus is a reporter for Newsday, the Long Island newspaper. In two decades as a staff member of the Boston Globe, Dallas Morning News, Miami Herald and US News & World Report, Marcus was a columnist, roving national reporter and foreign correspondent. In addition to being a newspaper and newsmagazine reporter, Marcus was also a high school teacher and a writing instructor at a business school. In between, he wrote two highly-praised nonfiction books.  Marcus shared the Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting for a series about violence against women around the world. His freelance articles have appeared in Vanity Fair, GQ magazine, and the New York Times.

Let’s Get Ready Media Contact

Brooke Sword

617.345.0084

bsword@letsgetready.org

America’s Promise Alliance, along with our partners GlaxoSmithKline, State Farm, Target, and Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, are convening four Business-Education Collaborative Summits, for business and education leaders interested in being effective partners for public education. The sessions will orient participants to effective ways to engage with the schools, supply case studies of proven programs, and highlight criteria businesses can use in deciding which efforts fit well with their interests. The summits will move past generalities to help business and educators achieve their shared goals of children's success, from cradle to career.

At these events, national, state and district-level speakers will:

• Offer practical, hands-on training to address common issues and challenges
• Give a clear assessment of education reform topics relevant to business
• Showcase effective partnerships from the school to the district levels
• Provide an opportunity for participants to share ideas with each other

Participants will also provide input to the creation of an ongoing technical assistance initiative that can continue to support their efforts in the coming years.

Summit dates and locations

• Charlotte, NC: June 11-12, 2012 
• Boston, MA: September 13-14, 2012
• Denver, CO: December 3-4, 2012
• Los Angeles, CA: January 2013 (date TBD)

For more information and registration click here

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Beth Luckock, Legacy Scholars, Coordinator

Office, 269.719-8228 or Cell, 646.285-1912

Celebrating First Class of Legacy Scholars

BATTLE CREEK, Mich. (May 10, 2012) – Legacy Scholars celebrates a significant and exciting development—the first graduating class of senior students.  During the week of May 14-18, students, teachers, parents, businesses and local politicians will be celebrating, too, during Legacy Scholars Week. 

All week long, various events will be held honoring the college-going culture started with the Legacy Scholars, including the following:

            Fly Your Flag! The Battle Creek College Access Network(CAN) and Legacy Scholars are asking local businesses, residents and classroom teachers to join in a college send-off for  graduating seniors beginning the week of May 14th through June 15. Simply fly a college flag of choice in support of the community’s graduating seniors and the places they will go.

            Proclaim it Loud & Proud!  Join with the City Commission of Battle Creek in honoring this year’s graduating class of Legacy Scholars.  Students, school administrators and Legacy Scholar/Battle Creek CAN staff will attend the City Commission meeting and the reading of a proclamation in their honor.

            Strike a Cord!  Legacy Scholars’ staff will present graduation cords to principals at Lakeview High School, Calhoun Community High School, Battle Creek Central and Bearcat Academy.  Cords will be given to students to wear at graduation ceremonies, and distributed with graduation cap and gowns by the schools.

            Write Your Legacy!  Students will have the opportunity to write their own legacy on provided canvases during lunch hours, and before and after school.  The senior students will leave a legacy for younger students, sharing their dreams and aspirations for their futures, and reminding younger students there are “No Limits” when education and opportunity unite.

“Legacy Scholars truly showcases the best of our community,” said Karl Dehn, chairman of the board of directors for Battle Creek CAN, of which Legacy Scholars is a cornerstone.  “Throughout the past six years, students have studied hard to achieve their dreams.  Now, it’s our turn to celebrate their efforts, but also to dedicate ourselves to nurturing a college-going culture for all our students.”

Legacy Scholars is a part of Battle Creek CAN, and is about making high school diplomas and college or technical degrees a reality for students of Battle Creek Public Schools and Lakeview School District. Established in 2005 through a 75^th Anniversary gift of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Legacy Scholars provides students with up to 62 credit hours at Kellogg Community College.   Legacy Scholars is a “last dollar” scholarship, used to supplement any other scholarships or grants received.

For more information about Legacy Scholars or Battle Creek CAN, visit the offices located inside the Battle Creek Community Foundation at One Riverwalk Centre, 34 West Jackson Street in downtown Battle Creek.  Or, call (269)719-8CAN (8226) or visit www.legacyscholars.org. 

Kenneth Webb, CYC Board member and Community Reinvestment Act Officer at Fifth Third Bank, and Dan Molina, also a Board member and Enterprise Architect for Accenture’s Global Architecture team, offered graduates powerful and insightful congratulatory remarks. Included at the Salute was artwork created by Cincinnati Arts and Technology Center (CATC) students, who provided their interpretation of this year’s theme, “Tune In to Your Future.” Former CYC graduates offered “words of wisdom” to this year’s seniors on what to expect in their post secondary careers.

Each student received a Certificate of Achievement, graduation medallion and flash drive for the next chapter of their academic life. CYC boasts a 99% high school graduation rate for seniors in its programs, and eight out of 10 graduates enroll in college.

Building capacity of counselors and higher education transition teams

This week St. Louis Graduates, a network of educators, nonprofit service providers and funders, wrapped up its Professional Development Institute workshop series for high school counselors, college access program staff, and higher education transition professionals. Over the year 53 participants and 23 speakers focused on building capacity to help students make the best match, plan a college prep courseload, transition from grades 12 to 13 and other critical issues. At the final workshop, participants developed action plans for the upcoming school year around building family financial literacy, guiding students through serious life challenges, addressing the needs of students with IEPs, and planning for postsecondary education as a first-generation student.

The series of six, three-hour intensive workshops used case studies, expert panels, and learning circle discussion to delve into critical issues affecting students. Case studies, speaker presentations, and other materials are available for download at www.StLouisGraduates.org.

This summer, leadership teams from eight participating school districts will develop college-going culture plans with support from Greg Darnieder of the U.S. Department of Education and other consultants.

The Professional Development Institute is funded by TG Public Benefit Grant Program.

PHOTO CUTLINE: Participants of the St. Louis Graduates Professional Development Institute wrapped up the program this week by developing action plans for the upcoming school year.

Media Contact:

Holly Mantle

            215.790.1666 x 422

hollymantle@philadelphiafutures.org

PHILADELPHIA FUTURES HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS ARE

ONLY LOCAL STUDENTS TO WIN DELL SCHOLARSHIPS,

FOR A TOTAL OF $100,000

Five Philadelphia Students Will Each Be Awarded a $20,000 College Scholarship

Philadelphia, Pa. (April 17, 2012)— For the second year in a row, five Philadelphia Futures high school seniors are the only students in the City to be awarded a Dell Scholars Program college scholarship. Since 2008, 12 Philadelphia Futures students have been awarded this scholarship, which accepts applications from students nationwide.

The five students will each receive $20,000 (for a total of $100,000) to support their college education. The students and the high schools they attend are:

• Tiana Harris, Academy of Palumbo
• Aquil Jones, Central High School
• Kevin Lu, Northeast High School
• Tien Tran, Northeast High School
• Brianna Williams, Furness Horace High School

 “Our students’ receipt of the Dell Scholars Program scholarships demonstrates the potential of Philadelphia’s high school students and is an affirmation of the power of our work,” said Joan Mazzotti, Executive Director of Philadelphia Futures. “We are thrilled that Philadelphia Futures students can compete and succeed on a national level. The scholarships recognize our student’s achievements and provide critically needed financial aid resources.” 

Philadelphia Futures is one of only 17 education entities in the U.S. that is an approved Dell Scholars Program college readiness program. Philadelphia Futures has met the national initiative’s stringent criteria for preparing low-income, first-generation-to-college for success through rigorous and life-changing programs as they make their way to and through college.

The Dell Scholarship Program, an initiative of the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, provides college scholarships to high school students that demonstrate academic potential and determination and have a definite need for financial assistance.

For more information about the Dell Scholars Program scholarship winners and Philadelphia Futures, please contact Holly Mantle at 215.790.1666 x422 or hollymantle@philadelphiafutures.org. Philadelphia Futures can be found online on their website at www.philadelphiafutures.org and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/phillyfutures.

            ###

 About Philadelphia Futures

Philadelphia Futures: a union of White-Williams Scholars and Philadelphia Futures provides Philadelphia’s high-potential, economically disadvantaged, college-bound students with deep, rigorous and life-changing programs and resources as they make their journey to and through college. To learn more, visit www.philadelphiafutures.org

On April 3, Tara Payne, Vice President, College Planning & Community Engagement at The NHHEAF Network Organizations and Kerry Koziell, College Outreach Specialist from the Center for College Planning (CCP), visited 120 second grade students from the Dame and Broken Ground School in Concord, NH to launch the annual “I Can Save” tour in partnership with the NH Jump$tart Coalition.

This year twelve NH elementary schools participated in the month-long tour; created to reinforce important financial literacy concepts to children as part of the celebration of April as Youth Financial Literacy Month. Led by NHHEAF’s CCP college outreach team, students in attendance explore the concepts of spending, saving and sharing with “Moonjar” banks. Moonjars are essentially piggy banks, divided in three slots, letting students categorize their funds. Throughout the presentation, students share ideas about things they want to spend money on, save money for and organizations and causes they would like to share money with.

This year twelve NH Elementary school participated on the tour including Brown Elementary School in Berlin, Centre School in Hampton, Dame School in Concord, Fairgrounds Elementary School in Nashua, Grantham Village School in Grantham, Jaffrey Elementary School in Jaffrey, Lafayette Regional School in Franconia, Linwood Elementary School in Lincoln, Madison Elementary School in Madison, Penacook Elementary School in Penacook, Piermont Village School in Piermont, Sanbornton Elementary School in Sanbornton and South Range Elementary School in Londonderry.

Salem, Virginia

May 5, 2012

Project Discovery of Virginia is pleased to announce the 2012 Project Discovery Scholarship award recipients. Project Discovery, a statewide dropout prevention, college access program serves over 2,000 students annually in 150 school districts in Virginia.

Through 23 community organizations, Project Discovery partners with local school systems to provide workshops, financial aid and college application assistance as well as college campus visits to at-risk students.

Jeffrey North, CEO of Project Discovery said that this year’s applicant pool was very competitive and the Scholarship review committee was impressed with the quality of all applications.

Those selected to receive scholarship in the amount of $1,000 are:

Emily K. Bayens - People Incorporated of Virginia, Abingdon

Jadé R. Myles - Quin Rivers Community Action Agency, Fredericksburg

Megan L. Matney - People Incorporated of Virginia, Abingdon

Ashley R. Pierce – Office of Human Affairs, Newport News

Maryam Sultany - Quin Rivers Community Action Agency, Fredericksburg

LéBryant D. Bell - Eastern Shore Area Agency on Aging & Community Action, Exmore

Korey L. White – Office of Human Affairs, Newport News

Ben D. Pruitt – Mountain Community Action Program, Marion

Jessica A. Mayo – Office of Human Affairs, Newport News

Jessica M. Patton - Mountain Community Action Program, Marion

Elizabeth A. Woods - People Incorporated of Virginia, Abingdon

Rebecca N. Statzer - People Incorporated of Virginia, Abingdon

Logan A. Reynolds - People Incorporated of Virginia, Abingdon

Kaitlyn M. Mallory - Skyline Community Action Program, Madison

KéAngela M. Crawford – Office of Human Affairs, Newport News

For further information:

Contact:           Jeffrey L. North

Voice:              540-389-9900

Fax:                  540-389-9920

Email:              jnorth@projectdiscovery.org

Media Contact:

Melissa Simas Tyler                                      

857-222-8049

msimastyler@oneillandassoc.com

Massachusetts Nonprofit Makes a Splash on the National Scene with New Location in Miami

Growth prompts ACCESS to change name to UAspire

Boston, MA (April 30, 2012) – ACCESS, a not-for-profit group based in Boston, Mass. that provides financial aid guidance and information to thousands of students in every public and charter high school in Boston, Springfield and Lawrence, is headed to the Sunshine State to open its first location outside of Massachusetts and is changing its name to UAspire.

UAspire is partnering with Miami Dade College and the Miami-Dade County Public Schools to ensure Miami’s students have a solid plan to finance their higher education.  Trained financial aid advisors will be placed in five Miami high schools, listed below, to work one-on-one with graduating seniors. With seed funding from the Kresge Foundation, UAspire will expand in Miami starting in September 2012. In its first year of programming, UAspire will serve more than 2,000 graduating high school seniors in Miami.

 “This is an extraordinary opportunity for us to help the students of South Florida get into and pay for college,” said UAspire Chief Executive Officer Bob Giannino-Racine. “Miami rose to the top of our short list due to a clear interest from Miami Dade College and local community leaers in wanting to partner in our work and support our launch and success.”

Miami Dade College has provided UAspire with in-kind office space and other resources to support its services across Miami.

Giannino-Racine said UAspire has hit the ground running in Miami thanks to the hiring of Keith Fletcher as its Miami Executive Director. Fletcher has deep roots in the Florida education community having served in leadership roles at Florida International University and the University of Miami.

“UAspire will create an immediate impact within its first year of operations in Miami,” said Fletcher. “We are filling a real need here. By replicating the success that UAspire has had in Massachusetts, we are going to change thousands of lives for the better.”

Founded in 1985, UAspire has been a pioneer in addressing issues of college affordability, providing financial aid advising and opening doors to higher education and economic opportunity for generations. Since 2005, UAspire has grown rapidly reaching 4,000 students annually. In the past five years, UAspire has leveraged $220 million in financial aid – $62 million in 2011 alone.

“We are extremely proud of the number of students we have reached and impacted during our 27 year history in Massachusetts,” said Giannino-Racine. “When we started our goal was to get students into college. Now we are committed to making sure these students graduate. This new mission has prompted us to change our name; a name that lets students, parents, educators, and funders know we are dedicated not just to access, but to each student’s success. The new name we decided on that accurately describes our future goals is UAspire.”

ACCESS will officially become UAspire in Miami by mid-September 2012.

UAspire Miami Partner High Schools:

American Senior High School

John A. Ferguson Senior High School

Miami Lakes Educational Center

Miami Southridge High School

Miami Sunset Senior High School

About ACCESS

ACCESS is Massachusetts’ leading provider of financial aid advising and scholarships and has provided financial aid advising and scholarships to more than 50,000 students since 1985, helping them realize their higher education goals and giving them a better foundation for a successful and productive future. Last year alone, ACCESS helped graduating high school seniors secure more than $57.2 million in financial aid – showing a return on investment of $61 in aid secured for every $1 invested in its advising program. ACCESS services are provided free of charge and serve students from every public high school and beyond and every neighborhood in Boston, Springfield and Lawrence. For more information, please visit www.accessedu.org.  

A giant congratulations is in order. The Top high schools in the US report came out in US News and World Report.

Out of 22,000 schools nationally we/Del Valle HS ranked 1048 in the nation and out of 1842 high schools in the state of Texas we ranked 89.

That is in the Top %5 in both categories!!! See the attached articles info for details.

http://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/texas/districts/del-valle-independent-school-district/del-valle-high-school-18955

http://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/texas

http://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools

National ranking.

Superintendent Dr. Crook and Central Office staff send their Congratulations on such a great accomplishment as well.

Awesome Work Del Valle High School!!!! Keep it up!!! Everyone together contributed to making this happen. This is quite a confirmation of all of your commitment and hard work.

Congratulations!!!!!

By Kate Trombitas, Vice President of Financial Education, Inceptia

In an ideal world, graduates embarking on their journey into the world are armed with the knowledge and wisdom they need to successfully pay their loans and stay out of debt. Unfortunately, the real world isn't so ideal. For one, students are graduating without giving loan repayment a second thought. And schools lack the time and resources to lay a strong foundation for smart money management. They suffer from shrinking budgets and staff, on top of an increased amount of compliance responsibility, making it nearly impossible for schools to reach out to students earlier than graduation time. Although exit counseling usually happens, a school can do more to prepare their students as they enter the grace period.

Here are five tips that a school can employ to help student borrowers gain new insight on the best ways to approach loan repayment:

·         Think beyond exit counseling by providing in-person assistance, whether in a group setting at a larger institution or one-on-one meetings at a school with a smaller enrollment.

·         Loan repayment is not a financial aid office issue. It's a school-wide matter. It will help to educate colleagues across campus. For example, a career services professional may be able to target students who are having trouble finding a job to direct them to learn about forbearance and income-based repayment options for federal loans.

·         Use social media to reach students. Let them know about upcoming deadlines, repayment options, or even special events offered by your office.

·         Use student counselors to speak to other students about financial loan repayment. Students may learn best from individuals who experienced similar challenges, as they often speak in a way that a professional educator may not.

·         Set up a temporary loan repayment information booth in a heavily trafficked area on campus.

Schools should also to take into account that a loan's grace period affects all borrowers, including students who've withdrawn, dropped out or become less than half time. Reaching them at the right time can make all the difference in their repayment strategy and is beneficial to the students, schools and everyone involved.

Kate Trombitas is the vice president of financial education at Inceptia, where her work focuses on enhancing the financial capability of America’s college students. Kate previously served as the associate director of The Ohio State University Student Wellness Center, where she founded Scarlet & Gray Financial, a peer-to-peer financial education program.

For the last 20 years, Project GRAD has prepared students for college in three unique ways: by developing their critical thinking skills through engagement with arts; by offering College Institutes every summer, whose rigorous academics challenges students and whose venue allows them to envision themselves as college students; and by collaborating with the school district, local schools and the community to change the college-going expectations of low-income, first-generation students.

 We have already confirmed the following speakers and events:

•  Russlynn Ali, Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Education, will be our plenary speaker at lunch on Monday, September 17, 2012.
• NCAN is proud to announce that we will screen the film First Generation on Monday, September 17, 2012, thanks to the support of Lumina Foundation.
• Jaye and Adam Fenderson, Directors and Producers of First Generation will join us for a discussion at the lunch plenary on Tuesday, September 18, 2012. They will be joined by students featured in that film.

 Additional speakers and events will be announced as they are confirmed.

 For this year’s conference we have arranged an extraordinary room rate of $109/night at the historic Flamingo Hotel. To reserve your room, please click here.

We look forward to seeing everyone in Las Vegas in September!

Please note that each registrant will need his or her own login and password. If you require assistance, please contact ncan@collegeaccess.org.

To register, please click here.

NCAN WOULD LIKE TO THANK OUR TRACK SPONSORS FOR THEIR SUPPORT OF THE 2012 NATIONAL CONFERENCE:

• USA Funds (Student Success in Higher Education and Awards of Excellence)
• Great Lakes Higher Education Guaranty Corporation (Data and Evaluation)
• Kresge Foundation (Statewide and Regional Partnerships)
• The College Board (Financial Aid and Literacy)
• The Travelers Companies, Inc. (College Readiness)

(Albuquerque, NM): According to data collected by a national program that aims to increase student completion of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), New Mexico’s FAFSA Free-for-All program ranks first for student completion out of 40 participating states!  As of May 11, 2012, New Mexico reports that 2,093 student surveys have been completed at FAFSA Free-for-All events, and the number will continue to grow at events held through the program’s end on June 1, 2012. 

FAFSA Free-for-All program partners expect to assist 5,000 students by the June 1 deadline, and are enthusiastic about progress so far.  Jerry McKeen, a program organizer and Senior Director of Financial Aid at San Juan College, says, “Each year financial aid offices independently assist as many families as possible toward accessing higher education.  However, having a centralized, state-wide initiative such as FAFSA-Free-for-All creates a unifying purpose among financial aid offices that also allows for opportunities to share ideas and contact even more families about the benefits of financial aid.” 

The FAFSA provides a student with the opportunity to receive Federal financial aid, including Pell Grants and low-interest student loans.  The application is also required by institutions in order to qualify for other need-based and merit-based institutional aid, and colleges, universities, and vocational schools use the FAFSA to calculate a student’s entire financial aid award.  Even current college students should complete a FAFSA each year.  FAFSA Free-for-All is part of College Goal Sunday^SM programs held in 40 states nationwide.  The College Goal Sunday^SM program was created by the Indiana Student Financial Aid Association with funding from Lilly Endowment, Inc., and with supplemental support from Lumina Foundation for Education.  This year, over 200 FAFSA Free-for-All events will be held at more than 80 locations across the state. 

FAFSA Free-for-All works to increase public awareness of federal funding that is available to many students in New Mexico, but often goes unclaimed.  Many times, families do not know about the application, or do not believe they will benefit from it – however, students at events this year are learning exactly how valuable it is.  An anonymous student survey advised after a February 28 event, “There should be more FAFSA workshops for students already in college in case they haven't heard of it or if they need help filing for it.”  Other students and parents comment on the usefulness of assistance with daunting tax jargon, and the value of Spanish language assistance, especially when communicating why sensitive information is necessary on the form.

FAFSA Free-for-All also collects demographic data to learn more about the program’s effectiveness in reaching low-income, Hispanic, and Native American students.  As of May 11, approximately 63.8% of students surveyed have an annual family income of less than $40,000, which makes them likely Pell Grant recipients.  Additionally, about 63% of students will be first-generation college students.  As the program concludes, organizers will release a report on all data collected, and recommendations for program expansion and sustainability.

Students who completed a FAFSA at a FAFSA Free-for-All event by March 1 are eligible to receive $500 scholarships awarded at event locations.  Students who complete a FAFSA at an event through the entire duration of the program (January 1-June 1) are entered to win one of four laptops.

A degree or meaningful certificate is an essential tool for New Mexico’s students.  According to Stronger Nation, a report released by the Lumina Foundation for Education on March 26, 2012, approximately 58% of jobs in our state will require an associate’s degree or better by 2018.  The FAFSA can enable our students to afford higher education training that will make them competitive in a changing workforce.  For more information on FAFSA Free-for-All, please contact Laura Kuechenmeister at New Mexico CAN (505.241.4483, laura@collegenm.org) or visit www.FAFSAfreeforall.org.

FAFSA Free-for-All is presented in partnership by the New Mexico Higher Education Department, Albuquerque Public Schools, New Mexico Educational Assistance Foundation, GEAR UP, New Mexico Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, YMCA, Girl Scouts of New Mexico Trails, and New Mexico colleges and high schools.  FAFSA Free-for-All is funded, in part, by the Lumina Foundation for Education and is a program of College Goal Sunday^SM.  Major funding for FAFSA Free-for-All comes from the College Access Challenge Grant and New Mexico Higher Education Department.

Teaser:

Financial Aid Saturdays:
Volunteers rally to help students
and their parents apply for college aid

Students who complete a financial aid application are more likely to go to college.  To boost financial aid application rates in the Dallas and San Antonio areas, volunteers in the Texas College Access Network (TxCAN) offered financial aid workshops on Saturdays to high school students and their parents. The pilot programs met with huge success.

► Super Saturday in Dallas:
Hundreds receive help in applying
for college financial aid

Michelle Saucedo, a senior at Molina High School in Dallas, was one of more than 270 students who attended the first FAFSA/TASFA Super Saturday workshop to be held in Dallas.  The March 24 event, supported by Educate Texas and the Texas College Access Network (TxCAN), gave Saucedo and her parents an opportunity to receive help in completing financial aid and college scholarship applications. 

“The Super Saturday was beneficial to me and my family,” said Saucedo. “The advisors were very helpful and attentive while we completed the FAFSA and TASFA forms. I would like to suggest having even more events next year to help more of my classmates.”

TxCAN is part of the National College Access Network (NCAN), a group of public and private organizations that collaborate to increase student access to and success in postsecondary education. Educate Texas, an initiative of the Communities Foundation of Texas to improve public education, has launched TxCAN regional pilot programs in the Dallas/North Texas area and in San Antonio (see related article on San Antonio’s “Student Aid Saturdays”). 

Through TxCAN, organizations such as colleges and universities, school districts, school counselors, non-profit and for-profit college access service providers, and state agencies have greater opportunities to work together to further student postsecondary access and success. 

“Students who submit a financial aid application are more likely to continue to postsecondary education.  So, the need to support students and families in the financial aid process is crucial,” said Alejandra Barbosa, Operations and Program Manager for Educate Texas.  “It takes the expertise and collaboration of many partners to support our students so that they get all the help they need.”

“As the host site for Super Saturday, we saw what happens when organizations think outside their four walls to benefit students,” said Connie Lefler, Associate Principal at Moises E. Molina High School.  “By working collaboratively with multiple entities, we were able to provide an opportunity for all seniors in the Dallas County area to complete a critical step for college access.”

Organizers of the first North Texas FAFSA/TASFA Super Saturday said the event produced impressive results:

·         More than 270 students representing 20 different Dallas-area school districts attended.

·         More than 250 parents attended.

·         More than 70 volunteers representing more than 20 organizations assisted in the event.

·         An estimated $21,000 in college and university scholarships was awarded to students, during the event, who had completed their college and financial aid applications.

“This event was a perfect example of the impact that regional collaboration can have on connecting students and their families with college-going support, resources, and information,” said Stephanie Holley, Dean of Enrollment Management at Texas A&M University-Commerce.

“Gaining access to financial resources and receiving the proper guidance are key drivers in being able to take the first step toward a college education,” Holley continued, “and they are just as important for retention and degree completion.  We accomplished what we set out to do and had an incredibly successful day.  We are committed to continuing our strong level of support and involvement with this and other TxCAN-led events.”

TxCAN plans to expand its financial aid workshops next year to reach more students and their families. More information about the workshops, about Educate Texas, and about TxCAN partnerships for college access is available by contacting Alejandra Barbosa, Operations and Program Manager, Educate Texas, Communities Foundation of Texas, (214) 750-4137, abarbosa@cftexas.org.

► Student Aid Saturdays in San Antonio:
A community invests in higher education

In its master plan, the City of San Antonio has set a goal for 80 percent of its 2020 high-school graduates to be college ready.

Students are more likely to enter college if they submit a financial aid application. But, only 52 percent of San Antonio’s 2011 high school graduates applied for college financial aid from federal and state sources, a number that San Antonio educators consider too low.

In an effort to increase the number of financial aid applicants in 2012, several San Antonio organizations joined forces to offer Student Aid Saturdays on eight weekends in the spring semester, beginning in January.  At the events, college-going students and their families received free assistance in filling out federal and state financial aid forms.

The events were held in high schools and community centers and on college campuses, and they were staffed with trained college financial-aid officers who provided one-on-one, bilingual assistance to students and their families.

Student Aid Saturdays were a project of many partners in SA-CAN, the San Antonio network of the Texas College Access Network (TxCAN).  SA-CAN/TxCAN is part of the National College Access Network (NCAN), a group of public and private organizations that collaborate to increase student access to and success in postsecondary education. SA-CAN collaborators in San Antonio include the City of San Antonio, San Antonio Education Partnership, Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce, cafécollege, and GenTX-San Antonio. More than 500 volunteers helped during the eight weeks of Student Aid Saturdays, and 26 businesses and community organizations adopted a Student Aid Saturdays site.

Educate Texas, an initiative of the Communities Foundation of Texas to improve public education, has launched TxCAN regional pilot programs in San Antonio and in North Texas (see related article on North Texas’ “FAFSA/TASFA Super Saturday”). 

“We’re very proud of everything that the SA-CAN partners are accomplishing, they’ve truly demonstrated a commitment to collaboration and to increasing postsecondary access,” said Alejandra Barbosa, Operations and Program Manager for Educate Texas. 

More information about the financial aid workshops, about Educate Texas, and about TxCAN’s partnerships for college access is available by contacting Alejandra Barbosa, Operations and Program Manager, Educate Texas, Communities Foundation of Texas, (214) 750-4137, abarbosa@cftexas.org.

Parents often find talking to their students about finances and college costs to be a challenge. To help jumpstart the conversation, TG and San Antonio's KLRN-PBS station created "College Costs: When to talk about planning for college." This special program encourages the use of practical financial literacy skills to plan and pay for college.

The family and community-focused discussion features Lisa Blazer, assistant vice president for financial aid at University of Texas San Antonio, Sharon Cabeen, director of the TG Financial Literacy Program, Mark Kantrowitz, creator of finaid.org and fastweb.com, and Eyra Perez, executive director for the San Antonio Education Partnership.

This program was created as part of TG’s ongoing efforts to promote college access and success. The program may be viewed in its entirety at www.TG.org/collegecosts.  

As in every year since our first class, 100% of the Scholars in CDI’s Class of 2012 were accepted into multiple selective colleges and universities. As Nina Marks highlighted in her Benefit speech, “Of the 239 applications filed by 25 Scholars, only 32 were denials and 37 were wait lists.” What makes those figures so remarkable is that colleges fielded record numbers of national and international applications at the same time they also slashed admit rates. Put simply, this year was a very difficult  year to get into college. Nevertheless, CDI Scholars fared extremely well.

Our Scholars were admitted to, among others: Barnard, Boston College, Brown, Columbia, Carnegie Mellon, Dartmouth, Goucher, Lafayette, Morehouse, Princeton, Washington University in St. Louis, the University of Richmond, William & Mary, and Wesleyan. In addition, several of our Scholars received prestigious merit scholarships and full rides.

USA Funds has awarded a $395,000 grant to one of the nation’s largest volunteer service organizations of professional women for a project to build stronger ties between community colleges and Historically Black Colleges and Universities and enhance college completion rates.

The Links, Incorporated is leading a community college transfer initiative that matches community colleges and HBCUs in five states. The participating institutions include:

·         Bluegrass Community and Technical College and Kentucky State University (Kentucky).

·         Hinds Community College-Utica campus and Tougaloo College (Mississippi).

·         Fayetteville Technical Community College and Fayetteville State University (North Carolina).

·         Austin Community College and Houston-Tillotson University (Texas).

·         Tidewater Community College and Norfolk State University (Virginia).

·         J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College and Virginia Union University (Virginia).

·          

Selected students at each identified community college will receive financial support, mentoring, academic coaching and other services needed for successful transfer to an HBCU. The community colleges and HBCUs will have the opportunity to collaborate to help facilitate the students’ transfer to HBCUs from community colleges — with the goal of encouraging more community college students to transfer to HBCUs in the future.

Here are five tips that a school can employ to help student borrowers gain new insight on the best ways to approach loan repayment:

• Think beyond exit counseling by providing in-person assistance, whether in a group setting at a larger institution or one-on-one meetings at a school with a smaller enrollment.
• Loan repayment is not a financial aid office issue. It's a school-wide matter. It will help to educate colleagues across campus. For example, a career services professional may be able to target students who are having trouble finding a job to direct them to learn about forbearance and income-based repayment options for federal loans.
• Use social media to reach students. Let them know about upcoming deadlines, repayment options, or even special events offered by your office.

Use student counselors to speak to other students about financial loan repayment. Students may

• learn best from individuals who experienced similar challenges, as they often speak in a way that a professional educator may not.
• Set up a temporary loan repayment information booth in a heavily trafficked area on campus.

Schools should also to take into account that a loan's grace period affects all borrowers, including students who've withdrawn, dropped out or become less than half time. Reaching them at the right time can make all the difference in their repayment strategy and is beneficial to the students, schools and everyone involved.

Kate Trombitas is the vice president of financial education at Inceptia, where her work focuses on enhancing the financial capability of America’s college students. Kate previously served as the associate director of The Ohio State University Student Wellness Center, where she founded Scarlet & Gray Financial, a peer-to-peer financial education program.

Inceptia, a division of National Student Loan Program (NSLP), is dedicated to providing much-needed support to help schools effectively and successfully fulfill their new roles and responsibilities. Through comprehensive data analysis, financial education, default prevention and financial aid management, we are confident we can help all students, not just borrowers, become financially responsible adults.

CACG staff is invited to attend at the recommendation of the Department of Education. For more information, to register for the conference, or to become a sponsor, exhibitor, or advertiser, visit www.edpartnerships.org.

This issue is receiving a large amount of attention from the media and politicians nationwide. President Obama, Mitt Romney, presumed GOP presidential nominee, and both parties in both chambers of Congress have all said that the interest rates should not double. They do, however, disagree on how to pay for a one year extension to keep the rates at the current level.

Federal estimates place the cost of the one year extension at $6 billion. None of the current proposals from either party to pay for the extension have been amenable to the opposing party. It is likely that Congress will volley back and forth on the payment structure for this extension and not make a final decision until much closer to the July 1 deadline.

Jim McCorkell, College Possible founder and CEO, was selected as the recipient of the 2012 Harvard Kennedy School Alumni Achievement Award for demonstrating an innovative, scalable and sustainable approach to solving a pubic problem that has a significant impact on the lives of many people.  The award has been given to 19 people since it was launched in 1997, including Robert Zoellick, former Deputy Secretary of State; Klaus Schwab, founder and president of the World Economic Forum; Paul Volker, former chair of the Federal Reserve Board, and other change makers from the private, nonprofit and public sectors.
 
College Possible (formerly Admission Possible) was the first organization in the country to harness the power of AmeriCorps members to provide intensive college coaching to low-income students. Since its founding in 2000, College Possible has refined its program to be an efficient model achieving top-of-field results. College Possible now serves 8,700 Minnesota, Nebraska and Wisconsin students with plans to reach 20,000 students annually in 10 locations across the country by 2020.

A graduate of McKinley Technical Senior High School, in Washington DC, Tanara attended Howard University Upward Bound Program where she went on to pursue her undergraduate studies.  As Office Coordinator, Tanara will bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to NCAN.  She resides in Washington, DC with her husband and two children.

The San Antonio Education Partnership, in collaboration with Mayor Julián Castro, Generation TX San Antonio, San Antonio Youth Commission and SA2020, hosted “Destination College” on April 16 -22.  With nine events over seven days, “Destination College” invited more than 3,000 students, parents, educators and community leaders to join towards one goal: inspiring our youth to dream bigger.

On Monday, the Mayor hosted the kick-off at cafécollege and unveiled San Antonio’s first-ever college-going Fiesta medal.  On Tuesday and Wednesday, Elementary School Night and Middle School Night were held at cafécollege where students and parents attended bilingual financial aid and college prep workshops.  The Texas premiere of FIRST GENERATION, followed by a panel discussion with the film’s directors, was hosted on Wednesday evening.  On Thursday, the College Signing Day ceremony featured high school seniors announcing their college choice to their families and friends. 

College fever swept the city with College T-shirt Day on Friday.  Saturday’s Summit featured more than 30 different workshops focused on college, financial aid, careers, health and fitness, and leadership.  On Sunday, students volunteered for San Antonio’s Youth Day of Service. 

“Destination College” proved San Antonio is committed to supporting our students’ goals of a better future and city!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Amy Kerwin

April 5, 2012 608-246-1785

akerwin@glhec.org

New Great Lakes Grant Opportunity to Help Disadvantaged Students Complete College

Persistence Programs at Wisconsin Institutions of Higher Education and Community-Based Organizations Eligible to Apply

Madison, Wis. — More disadvantaged undergraduate students will get help completing their degree, diploma, or certificate thanks to a new grant opportunity announced today by Great Lakes Higher Education Guaranty Corporation (Great Lakes). The Wisconsin Postsecondary Persistence Program Grants opportunity is made available through Great Lakes’ Community Investments program. Member institutions of the University of Wisconsin System, Wisconsin Technical College System, Wisconsin Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, and Wisconsin Tribal Colleges and Universities are encouraged to apply for grants up to $300,000. Wisconsin nonprofit community- and faith-based organizations are also eligible to apply.

Disadvantaged student populations can face a number of challenges that prevent them from finishing a degree, diploma, or certificate. “Studies show that students from disadvantaged backgrounds are more likely to leave school before completing their program of study or degree,” said Richard D. George, Great Lakes’ President and Chief Executive Officer. “This grant opportunity is designed to provide these students with the support they need to overcome the hurdles that too often get in the way of college completion.”

Great Lakes’ Wisconsin Postsecondary Persistence Program Grants will support programs that provide academic, career, and personal support services to undergraduate students. Programs selected for funding must demonstrate that the participants’ semester-to-semester and year-to-year re-enrollment rates are higher than those of their peers. Great Lakes plans to use the reported program outcomes to identify what works best in increasing persistence for students of color, students from low-income backgrounds, and/or those who are the first in their families to attend college. These results will then be used to inform future funding decisions.

Applications for this grant opportunity can be found online at mygreatlakes.org/community and are due June 1, 2012.

For more information on Community Investments, visit mygreatlakes.org/community or contact Amy Kerwin at akerwin@glhec.org or (608) 246-1785.

# # #

About Great Lakes and Community Investments

Knowing that education has the power to change lives for the better, Great Lakes Higher Education Corporation and Affiliates helps millions of students pay for college and manage their student loans. Through Community Investments, Great Lakes funds programs that foster workforce development and improve economic competitiveness by increasing the number of disadvantaged students who start and complete a postsecondary degree or certificate. Since 2006, Great Lakes has committed more than $69 million in funding to programs that share these goals. For additional information, visit mygreatlakes.org/community.

In addition to the success of GAcollege411, Georgia Student Finance Commission K-12 Student and School Services outreach representatives have conducted more than 1,600 financial aid events, college planning presentations and counselor trainings reaching more than 95,000 people this year!  It has been a busy year, and we are committed to providing access to higher education and career planning for all Georgians. We are looking forward to making more improvements to the website and continued growth in the upcoming year.

2012 marked the pilot year for NEED’s new STEM (Science Technology Engineering Math) female mentoring program. Through support from Bayer and other local organizations, the STEM program works with sixth grade African American females.  The goal of this Saturday program is to generate excitement about careers in science, technology, engineering, and math for minority females through both hands-on activities and field trips.

The 7^th Annual Workforce Diversity Fair was held on January 4^th, and was a well-attended opportunity to connect talented NEED recipients with local corporations for internship opportunities.

The 49^th Annual NEED Benefit Dinner was held on Wednesday, March 14^th at the Wyndham Grand Downtown.  Nearly 800 individuals, corporations, foundations, students and parents were in attendance for a fabulous evening.  Dr. John Jackson of the Schott Foundation, the evening’s keynote speaker, had the audience out of their seats, waving their napkins like Terrible Towels in support of the 44 students who were being awarded scholarships that evening.

On March 31^st, NEED staff and chaperones along with 86 students from the Pittsburgh area embarked upon on the 6^th Annual NEED Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Tour.  The tour visited thirteen HBCU’s, as well as many sites of historical significance, and returned to Pittsburgh on April 7^th. 

The College Place opens on the campus of the University of California (UC),Berkeley

ST. PAUL, Minn., Jan. 30, 2012 – ECMC Foundation announced today the opening of The College Place-Northern California—the first The College Place in California. Located on the UC Berkeley campus, The College Place helps students of all ages pursue opportunities for education beyond high school by providing free information, assistance and encouragement through in-person, telephone and online support. The College Place also offers individual assistance completing applications for admission, financial aid and scholarships.

The College Place will be managed by Monique Adorno-Jimenez. Adorno-Jimenez has dedicated her career to working with California students as both a teacher and an advisor. She has been a leader in equity and access issues for more than 10 years.

This new college access center continues the successful collaboration between ECMC Foundation and UC Berkeley’s Center for Educational Partnerships, which started with the development of the nationally distributed college access curricula, Realizing the College Dream for high school students, and Believing

the College Dream for fourth through eighth grade students.

The College Place-Northern California is located at 2150 Kittredge Street, Suite 4C, Berkeley, Calif. Besides visiting the site, California students can also access The College Place services by calling 1-866-326-2827 or sending an email to northerncatcp@ecmc.org.  To learn more about this and other ECMC Foundation initiatives, visit www.ecmcfoundation.org.

From Lincoln to Carter, and the Montana counties in between, 63 students are breathing easier about paying for college in the fall thanks to the recent award of Student Assistance Foundation’s Circle of Succe$$ scholarships.

“Thank you so much for this scholarship,” wrote 2012 Circle of Succe$$ recipient Bryce Worthington. “It means so much to my success and to helping me become the best student I possibly could. This money will go a long way in alleviating some of the stress that debt will cause me once I graduate from college.”

Worthington, who is from Billings, is attending Montana Tech of The University of Montana in Butte, and is studying for his Petroleum Engineering Degree. While he understands that he will likely work outside of Montana at the start of his career, his plans are to return to Montana and raise a family when the opportunity presents itself.

Darbie Hess, grants and scholarship manager for SAF, said helping students like Worthington is exactly what SAF employees intended when they established the scholarship program seven years ago.

“The Circle of Succe$$ program is particularly meaningful to SAF employees because it was initially funded solely through voluntary payroll deductions,” she said. “Today, we look to the proceeds of our annual golf tournament and generous donors in the community to allow us to help even more Montana students in need.”

Hess added that the employee committee charged with selecting the scholarship recipients had a challenging duty in narrowing the numerous applications to meet the number of scholarships available.

“Each year we see requests from so many dedicated and talented students, it’s always difficult to select just a few to receive Circle of Succe$$ scholarships,” she said.

To date, SAF has distributed $404,000 in Circle of Succe$$ scholarships.

To learn more about SAF and our 2012 Circle of Succe$$ scholarship program recipients, check us out on Facebook!

To download an executive summary along with individual fact sheets for each state, visit: http://www.edexcelencia.org/eaf/50states/

CONTACT:

Monica Gray

Marketing Director, College Success Foundation – DC

mgray@collegesuccessfoundation.org

IMMEDIATE RELASE

March 11, 2012

CSF – DC Selects 283 District of Columbia Achievers Scholarship Candidates

District of Columbia – The College Success Foundation – DC is proud to announce the largest group of scholarship recipients yet, 283 scholarship candidates. Cohort 6 of the Achievers Scholarship Program has the largest number and percentage of male students ever selected into an Achievers cohort. Forty-two percent (42% - 118 students) are male. Additionally, three of our schools have their largest cohort of DC Achievers ever –

Anacostia, HD Woodson and Maya Angelou.

CSF - DC selected 283 DC Achievers Scholarship Candidates from the six partner high schools for its sixth cohort of DC Achievers Scholarship Candidates. The new class of Achievers includes 35 Achievers from Anacostia Senior High School, 36 Achievers from Ballou Senior High School, 49 Achievers from Woodson Senior High School, 38 Achievers from Thurgood Marshall Academy Public Charter School, 36 Achievers

from Maya Angelou Public Charter School, and 89 Achievers from Friendship Collegiate Public Charter High School. They represent an impressive group of young leaders who are already leaving a mark on their schools. CSF - DC will be hosting a celebration to honor our newly selected DC Achievers in April.  Since the inception in 2007, the College Success Foundation - DC has selected more than 1,400 students as DC Achievers Scholarship Candidates and currently supports more than 700 DC college students at more than 100 colleges and universities across the country. College Success Foundation - DC inspires underserved, low-income students to finish high school, and provides a unique integrated system of supports and scholarships they need to graduate college and succeed in life. www.collegesuccessfoundation.org/dc

College T-shirts, Vince Young and local leaders join forces to support students' college and career goals

** Excellent photo/video opp at Del Valle HS Stadium approx. 10:45 am, Fri. May 4^th**

AUSTIN, TX (May 2, 2012)– On Friday, May 4, 2012, E3 Alliance and Generation TX are encouraging communities, businesses and schools in Central Texas to join in the statewide celebration of GenTX Day by wearing their favorite college T-shirts in a united show of support for building a college-going culture that encourages Texas students to continue their education beyond high school.  In its second year, GenTX Day is a day for communities to show their support for Texas students, particularly the graduating class of 2012, by celebrating their accomplishments and encouraging them to pursue higher education as a critical next step for their futures.

Longhorn legend Vince Young, who will appear at the Austin events and is serving for the second straight year as the statewide spokesperson for Generation TX, tweeted, “Headed to ATX for #GenTXDay to celebrate and congratulate students headed to college!  Join me, wear your fav college tee Friday, May 4!”

Local GenTX Day events will include:

·         A GenTX Day pep rally for the entire Del Valle High School student body will be held in Del Valle Veterans Memorial Stadium at 10 AM on Friday, May 4, featuring Vince Young, Austin Mayor Lee Leffingwell, Austin City Councilmember Mike Martinez, as well as a visual stunt unveiling a football-field sized GenTX banner on which the Del Valle Marching Band will form a giant GenTX design.

Councilmember Martinez, who attended Austin Community College and is now a student at the University of Texas School of Social Work, explains, “Being involved with GenTX Day means a lot to me personally.  As a first generation student myself, I know that getting to college is not easy for everyone, but it’s worth it.  Education is one of the best things you can do to get a great job, support your family and to be an example for those around you.”

Austin Mayor Lee Leffingwell frames the event in terms of its impact on the future of Central Texas, "The success of our communities and the success of our students are one in the same.  No community can grow without a skilled workforce with the career and technical skills gained in 2-year and 4-year degrees."

Akins High School will hold a pep rally for its graduating seniors in the Akins High School Gymnasium from 2:45pm-4:15pm on Friday, May 4.  AISD Superintendent Dr. Meria Carstarphen will join Young and Akins High School namesake, Dr. W. Charles Akins, to offer congratulations and encouragement to graduating seniors as they continue their educations.

Carstarphen says of the Akins event, “At AISD, we work every day to ensure the success of our students and to prepare them for bright futures. One of the most gratifying things that I get to do as superintendent is to celebrate with our seniors who have worked so hard to finish high school and get into college. Today they are one step closer to their real goal: getting their college degree and starting their careers.”

Dr. Akins, an educator and leader in the integration of public schools in Central Texas, comments, “We need more events like this to support our students.  I really believe in them and what they are capable of achieving, and look forward to getting to share a few words with them.”

“We’re so pleased to be leading this effort in Central Texas,” says Susan Dawson, President and Executive Director of the E3 Alliance, the nonprofit leading local Generation TX efforts.   “At E3 Alliance, we are focused on driving collaborative systemic change in education in Central Texas.  Inspiring and celebrating the success of our students as they prepare to go to college is a critical part of helping each student be successful, cradle to career.”

H-E-B stores in Austin and across Texas will encourage over 50,000 of their Partners (employees) in nearly 300 Texas stores to join Texans across the state in showing their support for the students of Generation TX by wearing their favorite college T-shirt.

Other GenTX Day partners  who are promoting GenTX Day and wearing college T-shirts on Friday include: the City of Austin; college bookstore and outfitter Neebo; campus2careers.com, the largest entry-level job board in TX and the first site to match students with internships and jobs based on their interests and skills; Austin-based advertising agency GSD&M; and media partners Univision, Belo Corp. stations KVUE (Austin), WFAA (Dallas) and KHOU (Houston), the Texas Association of Broadcasters, Emmis Austin Radio 101X.

An initiative supported by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and funded via a federal College Access Challenge Grant, Generation TX (GenTX) is a statewide, grassroots movement committed to creating what’s next for Texas: a culture of college and career readiness that leads to the most successful generation ever. On Friday, May 4th, Generation TX (pronounced "Generation Texas") asks everyone in Texas to celebrate GenTX Day by wearing their favorite college T-shirts in a united show of support for building a college-going culture that encourages Texas students to continue their education beyond high school.

###

About Generation TX:

Generation TX is a statewide initiative supported by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board focused on creating a college-going culture across the state.  Through GenTX Day and other seasonal promotions, Generation TX is clarifying the path to college for Texas students and families by providing information on college readiness, college application and financial aid in a fresh and engaging manner. For more information, please visit www.GenTX.org.

MEDIA NOTE:
Video Assets
GenTX Day Public Service Announcement: http://downloads.gentx.org/index.php?content=gentxday#psa

GenTX Day 2011 Overview Video: www.gentx.org/gentxday

For media inquiries regarding Generation TX please contact Margaret Justus +1-281.250.8253

For media inquiries regarding Vince Young, please contact Denise White at 310-301-4274 or Denise.White@EAGSportManagement.com

For media inquiries regarding H-E-B in Austin, please contact Leti Mendoza 512-659-2271

Follow us on Twitter: @GenerationTexas
Connect with us on Facebook: facebook.com/GenerationTX

The Guam College Access Challenge Grant Program partnered with the local public education department to conduct a “College & Career Exploration Day” (CCED) at the Guam Community College (GCC). This collaborative effort made possible for 271 high school seniors to participate in this college campus tour held on February 10, 2012. Students listened from GCC faculty presentations about programs and courses offered, as well as had lively conversations with GCC college students and student council offers throughout the guided tour around campus. 97% reported enjoying the CCED; 95% reported that that “they know more about college than they did before coming to CCED”; 96% agreed that “the presenters helped them learn more about college courses and programs offered” and; 97 % reported that “they planned to go to college”. Pictured above students meet with GCC culinary college students and given a “taste” of what they do!

As Rhode Island’s nonprofit lender, The Rhode Island Student Loan Authority (RISLA) feels obliged to help Rhode Islanders plan for education, budget well, and use credit wisely. Currently, RISLA’s Financial Literacy Manager William Bianchi and staff from RISLA’s College Planning Center are training Guide 2 Success students and teachers in financial literacy. iPads for the classroom will grant access to online resources and tutorials. By the end of the project, teachers will have tools and techniques to incorporate financial education into the curriculum. This project is supported by the Council for Economic Education through funding from the United States Department of Education Office of Innovation and Improvement.

WHO: 10,000 Degrees – Creating college graduates who change the world.
WHEN: Thursday, April 26th 2012
WHERE: Marin Civic Center, Exhibition Hall
BENEFITING: 10,000 Degrees raises money to help low income students achieve their dream of a college education. Get tickets today!

DID YOU KNOW: 84% of our students complete a four-year degree, compared to the national rate of 24% for students from low-income households

WE'RE ON A MISSION TO CHANGE THE WORLD!

Our strategy is both effective and powerful – turn students-in-need into college graduates who change the world. The 10,000 Degrees Solution begins in elementary school with college campus visits introducing students to the idea of earning a college degree. In middle school, we provide the entire family with a “college road map” and then, from high school to college graduation, provide inspiration, information and financial support to help them succeed. The transformation of student-in-need to college graduate benefits all of us. 10,000 Degrees’ scholars become community leaders and role models to future generations who pay it forward.

Great Lakes Higher Education Guaranty Corporation today announced a new grant opportunity made available through its Community Investments program. Open to colleges within the Wisconsin Technical College System (WTCS), the Emergency Grant Assistance for Pell-Eligible Students opportunity provides students in need with small grants to address unexpected expenses that too often get in the way of continuous enrollment and eventual program completion

This grant opportunity is focused on Pell-eligible students. Through the program, Pell-eligible students faced with urgent, unforeseen expenses can apply to receive small grants—typically from $200 to $500—to cover costs that can get in the way of program completion. Great Lakes’ goal is to help these students remain in, and complete, college and realize the many benefits completion brings to students and their families. The $1.9 million, three-year initiative will also measure the effectiveness that emergency grant assistance has on student retention and graduation.

Great Lakes is pleased to partner with Scholarship America® Dreamkeepers® to make this program available to WTCS colleges. Each college has the opportunity to receive between $62,500 and $140,000 based on enrollment.
Applications for this grant opportunity can be found online at mygreatlakes.org/community and are due April 13, 2012.

Under the High School Allotment, a $320 million annual fund created by the state Legislature in 2006, all Texas public school districts get $275 for every high school student. The money is intended to help improve graduation and college readiness. This marks the fourth year school districts were invited to nominate themselves for recognition.

He also noted Del Valle's Go Center, which allows students explore career, register for college entrance exams and fill out college applications with help from a college and career counselor and volunteers. The Austin Community College provides Del Valle with a part-time outreach adviser at the Go Center.
All Del Valle students complete a four-year college and career plan, and all 10th grade students visit college campuses during their spring semester.
State data show that in 2006, only 9 percent of graduates met the state's "college ready" standard on both math and reading sections of the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills. In 2010, 35 percent of students met the standard.

Article courtesy of the Austin Statesmen. To view the full article, see here.

Attendees spent the day gaining valuable college planning information from available workshops on topics including information about the college interview, an inside look at college admissions, important facts about college costs and funding strategies and tips for taking standardized tests. There were sessions for student-athletes and for students who were the first in the family to attend college. The event featured Southern NH University Provost, Dr. Patricia Lynott, NHHEAF President & CEO René Drouin and the winner of this year’s Destination College Keynote Speech Contest and a $1,000 college scholarship, Ryan Pauer.

The day ended with the College Fair, featuring colleges and universities from throughout New England and raffle prize awards including scholarships and a New England Sports basket with an autographed Red Sox baseball. This year’s event sponsors included Sulloway & Hollis, Southern NH University, Stonyfield Yogurt, Lincoln Financial Group, Coca-Cola, Hinckley Allen Snyder, RAM Printing, Baker Newman Noyes (BNN) and BetterForms.
To view pictures and presentations from this year’s event, log onto www.destinationcollege.org.

Your big future begins with you — it’s your journey. Asking yourself questions can help you figure out who you are and where you want to go.

Making the decision on what college to attend is complex and overwhelming. With over 4,000 degree-granting colleges and universities in the United States, students rely on imperfect, irrational methods to make their selection. Some base their decision on what institution is the closest, and others on what a cousin’s girlfriend said about her time at State U. Many will crack open this year’s US News and World Report and apply to the top ten without any regard for how the rankings were even calculated. The consequences of poor selection are enormous: stop outs, drop outs, high debt loads, and increased student “swirl” among multiple institutions.

So how do we get students to make better decisions? A lot of data already exists, but oftentimes little thought is put into how this data is packaged and presented to students. It’s not just about getting the data out there—students need to actively consume the data. And for them to consume the data, it needs to meet them where they are.

Enter BigFuture.

The site asks students six questions about their preferences for college type, location, campus setting, cost, majors, and learning environment. A list of institutions is then aggregated, and students have an opportunity to filter even further based on institutional characteristics. Students can make lists where they can cross compare colleges of their choice. Even more importantly, they can learn about the various application and financial aid deadlines for each college. Sprinkled throughout the website are graphical representations of important statistics, videos from college students talking about aspects of college life, and videos from administrators explaining difficult-to-understand but important concepts like net versus “list” price.

The best part? This resource is free. You are able to explore the site at great depth without even registering. To personalize the site further, students will need to register (again free) with the College Board, something that is inevitable for high school students taking an AP or SAT exam.

• Understanding the default rate calculation
• Anticipating default rate implications for institutions
• Assembling the right team of stakeholders to address default rates
• Examining and understanding borrower characteristics
• Creating and implementing the best plan of action for lowering loan default rates

Finally, in a national survey of nearly 200 higher education institutions, Inceptia found the majority of colleges and universities are placing more emphasis on financial education for students. The survey also revealed that schools are lacking much-needed funding and resources to adequately prepare students for future financial challenges.

To learn more about Inceptia, visit Inceptia.org. Join the Inceptia conversation on Twitter

That’s where the Social Impact Exchange comes in -- a national membership association formed with the goal of sharing knowledge and increasing investment in scaling effective social programs and solutions. The Exchange has built a multimedia database that houses more than 150 pieces of content on the topic of scaling impact. The database is free to access and offers comprehensive resources that provide insight into the scaling process – from the early stages of assessing readiness to scale and growth business planning, to the later stages of financing a scaling initiative and rolling it out.

To get you started exploring the database of resources, the Exchange put together a sampling of content from its Knowledge Center that gives a good introduction to the topic of scaling impact. The Exchange welcomes your feedback and is happy to answer questions or provide direction to the most relevant resources for your organization. Contact Tamara Schweitzer Raben, Knowledge Management Associate at the Social Impact Exchange at tschweitzer@growthphilanthropy.org. Be sure to sign up to be a member of the Exchange as well, in order to receive future communications on scaling news and knowledge from the sector. 

Managing Growth - How a Boston Educational-Services Nonprofit is Realizing Its Own Potential for Growth So That Its Scholars Can Realize Theirs

Author: Kelly Campbell and Rita Louh

This case study of educational services organization, the Steppingstone Academy in Boston, offers a framework for making growth decisions in social purpose organizations.

 Scaling Impact: A Primer for Nonprofits

By Geri Stengel, Ventureneer

This e-book is a compilation of observations, takeaways, and information from the Social Impact Exchange's 2010 conference on Scaling Impact. This resource is geared towards helping nonprofits think about the process of scaling, and what factors to consider when deciding whether to scale. It is designed as a primer for those who want to pursue scaling their impact.

What Do We Mean by Scale?

By Dara Major, Grantmakers for Effective Organizations

Scaling is often discussed in the context of expanding organizations or replicating effective programs in other communities. More recently, there has been an  understanding of scale as a means to more comprehensively grow social impact without necessarily increasing the size of the nonprofit organizations and programs they support. Recognizing that there are a variety of approaches to scale, this briefing paper explores what can be scaled, and grantmaking practices that support nonprofits in growing their impact.

Pathways to Social Impact: Strategies for Scaling Out Successful Social Innovations

Author: Gregory Dees, Beth Anderson, and Jane Wei-Skillern

This working paper from the Center for the Advancement of Social Entrepreneurship at Duke's Fuqua School of Business, provides a conceptual framework to help social entrepreneurs and nonprofit leaders identify and assess their options for scaling up programs and ideas.

LATEST ACHIEVEMENTS: Florida C.A.N.! presented before Tampa City Council on March 15th, where the City of Tampa formally approved a resolution in support of Goal 2025 to increase the proportion of Florida residents age 25-64 with a high-quality post-secondary degree or credential to sixty percent (60%) by the year 2025. Florida C.A.N.! will travel across the state to get more local governments to pass Goal 2025 resolutions.

IN THE PRESS: On March 15th, Braulio Colón, Executive Director for Florida C.A.N.!, was featured in a one-on-one television interview about Goal 2025. The In Depth piece aired once an hour from 12:30-4:30pm on Bay News 9 in the Tampa/St. Petersburg market. To view the segment, click here.

On March 24, 2012, the Partnership was also featured on an “Es el Momento” segment of Univision, which included interviews with Noé Ortiz and Herminia Saldivar, two San Antonio-based educators associated with the Partnership.
“Es el Momento” was created in 2010 as part of Univision’s national education initiative aimed at improving academic achievement among Hispanic students.
Both efforts were undertaken as part of the Partnership’s Latino Student Success Initiative, a four-year, $600,000 grant funded by the Lumina Foundation. The initiative is a city-wide collaborative effort to help increase graduation rates among Latinos in San Antonio, which is a supporting objective of the Partnership’s overall mission to equip San Antonio students for college success.

Lumina Foundation's latest Stronger Nation report shows we must do significantly more to build on the modest gains in U.S. higher education attainment.

For the first time ever, postsecondary attainment data for the nation's 100 largest metro areas will be reported. To watch highlights of the conference, view here.

On a second note, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Federal Student Aid will announce the release of a FAFSA Completion Tool to help track and increase FAFSA submission and completion rates at every qualifying high school across the country.

Federal Student Aid has compiled aggregate FAFSA submission and completion rates by individual high school and is making this data available to the public through the FSA Data Center (URL when live: http://federalstudentaid.ed.gov/datacenter/fafsahs.html).

To learn more about the the FAFSA Completion Tool, we are convening a stakeholder conference call on Tuesday, March 13th from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM.
To join, please dial 1-888-282-0568 and say the participant passcode “EDUCATION.”

Kindly RSVP your intention to participate to Robert.Gomez@ed.gov
Finally, Lumina Foundation’s “Next Generation of Student Supports” efforts to date are summarized in this brief video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5-A-QawXSA

Students majoring in science, technology, engineering, or math (STEM) disciplines are invited to apply for $2,500 scholarships under the new Great Lakes National Scholarship Program. The scholarship program, funded by Great Lakes Educational Loan Services, Inc. offers up to 750 awards to new and continuing students who qualify. To be eligible, a student must:

• Be enrolled full-time with a declared major field of study in science, technology, engineering, or math at a public or private two-year or four-year college, university, or vocational-technical school.

• Have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.75.

• Be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident.

• Demonstrate financial need.

“Great Lakes is proud to support the national education agenda by providing financial assistance for students pursuing careers in the STEM disciplines,” said Paul Thornburgh, President and Chief Executive Officer of Great Lakes Educational Loan Services, Inc., a nationwide servicer of federal student loans. “This scholarship program aligns with our ongoing commitment to help change lives for the better through higher education.”
More information about this scholarship program is available at Scholarship America.

The Great Lakes National Scholarship Program is administered by Scholarship Management Services, a division of Scholarship America®. Scholarship Management Services is the nation’s premier manager of scholarship and tuition reimbursement programs for corporations, foundations, associations, and individuals

• Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP): $800,000 to support the Benefits Access for College Completion initiative’s learning community and evaluation.

• Working Poor Families Project: $950,000 to advance educational and economic opportunities for low-income working people.

• Southern University System: $75,000 planning grant to support the Southern University System’s Five-Fifths Agenda for America.

• College Summit: $750,000 to increase the number of underserved students receiving college access support services in Los Angeles.

• Center for Community Change/Young Invincibles: $110,000 to support the Campaign for Young America and National Youth Bus Tour.

• New Profit-Pathways Fund: $1 million to strengthen and grow the impact of six key national college access and success organizations, including College Summit, iMentor, National College Advising Corps, Single Stop USA, Year Up and Youth Build.

• Michigan College Access Network: $325,000 supporting growth and development of Michigan’s Local College Access Networks (LCANs).

• American Council on Education (ACE) Veterans Toolkit: $758,000 for the creation of college programs and services that support education attainment goals of student veterans.

Four NCAN members helped lead the panel “Connecting to Post-Secondary Education: Knowledge, Access & Affordability,” sponsored by the Ford Motor Company Fund.

• Robert Birdsell, of the Christo Rey Network, spoke about using data to track student performance in college.
• Erin Cox, from ACCESS, addressed the subject of financial literacy.
• Brandy Johnson, of the Michigan College Access Network, discussed how to start local networks of organizations focused on college access and completion.
• Bobby Kanoy, from the American Council on Education, shared information about National College Application Week.

Mike Schmidt, director for education and workforce development at the Ford Motor Company, moderated the panel.

Other NCAN member speakers included Jamie Merisotis, president and CEO of Lumina Foundation; Jim Applegate, vice president of Lumina; Braulio Colón, executive director of the Florida College Access Network; and Dorothy Stoneman, president of YouthBuild.

America’s Promise Alliance, whose founding chair is General Colin L. Powell, hosted the summit along with the Alliance for Excellent Education, Civic Enterprises, and the Everyone Graduates Center. The event featured the latest report on national high school graduation rates, which found that that 24 states increased their high school graduation rates by modest to large gains, while the number of dropout factory high schools decreased by 457 between 2002 and 2010, with the rate of decline accelerating since 2008

ED launched the FAFSA Completion Tool, available at http://federalstudentaid.ed.gov/datacenter/fafsahs.html so that educators would know the number of FAFSAs completed for a given high school. Knowing this completion number allows districts, college access programs, and the community, to track a high school’s progress in helping students to complete the FAFSA. The tool also shows how many FAFSAs are still pending, meaning they have not been accepted as complete. The tool does not list completion by student, so teachers and parents will not know which students still need to submit the form.

The FAFSA Completion Tool includes current seniors and is updated every other Friday (every two weeks). When visiting the website, users download the information by state. Some high schools do show up in duplicate on the listings. Users can contact ED to notify them of duplicates or other errors. For duplicate schools, students are not counted twice, so the number for each listing can be added together for the total completion level.

The second project from the Department of Education to boost FAFSA completion is an expansion of the FAFSA Pilot Completion Project. This project started a year ago with 20 school districts nationwide. ED provided the districts with real time information on which students had submitted a completed FAFSA form. The districts receive a file with student names and “yes/no” for submitted and “yes/no” for complete. This year ED opened the opportunity for 80 additional multiple high school districts and 12 additional single high school districts to participate in the pilot. Any district could express interest and those randomly selected to participate will be announced this Spring.

Access College Foundation
Normandale Community College
Northeastern University – TORCH Scholars Program
Tampa Bay Academy of Hope
Waco Foundation/MAC  Scholarship Program

Welcome to our New Members!  To read more about them, please see below:

Access College Foundation
Access College Foundation assists students and their families through college fairs, complimentary informational presentations, our website, and of course, referrals from past clients.  College-bound students and their parents benefit enormously from the educational services of our Foundation’s website, and on an individual basis with local ACF Representatives.  By working together with both the parents and their students, we assist with the effective navigation of the entire college planning and funding process. 

Normandale Community College
Normandale Community College is an urban two-year college serving primarily the communities of the southwestern metropolitan region of the Twin Cities.  Normandale Community College advancesindividuals’ intellectual, career and personal development by providing outstanding teaching andsupport.

Northeastern University – TORCH Scholars Program
Northeastern University launched the Torch Scholars Program in 2006, a bold and innovative initiative awarded to individuals who have overcome exceptional odds and who demonstrate the potential to excel academically.  Torch is much more than a scholarship; it is a sustainable and replicable Program, with the potential to inform the way that universities recruit and retain talented students. Making an investment in human potential, Torch works hard to find resilient students with high rates of achievement and leadership in non-traditional ways. Through a rigorous non-cognitive admissions process, Torch not only finds, but develops bright young people who often go unnoticed in hard-to-reach communities across America.

Tampa Bay Academy of Hope
Tampa Bay Academy of Hope serves youth who live in socioeconomically depressed communities. Our youth receive coaching, mentoring, tutoring, life. literacy, and leadership skills through the different youth programs including, Read to Achieve, the Youth C5 programs, and the NOW programs. The areas of concentration include: school attendance, school behavior, academic achievement, positive youth development, self-esteem, and leadership. Services to youth include: mentoring, rap sessions, one-on-one coaching, school visits, home visits, health and wellness classes, literacy skills, and exposure activities. The greatest testaments to the success of the program are the exceptionally high rate of students who have pursued post-secondary education.  Between 2006-2008, all graduating seniors participating in the program were admitted to and enrolled in college.  Many of these students were the first in their families to attend college.

Waco Foundation/MAC Scholarship Program
The MAC Scholarship Program assist students in completing financial aid paperwork for college so they can receive any Federal or State grants for which they are eligible and we supplement tuition for students from family incomes of under $50,000 to make sure tuition is covered at our local Community College or Technical School.

Stronger Nation' 2012 released 

Modest gains in U.S. college attainment rates revealed; progress must be accelerated

Lumina Foundation's latest Stronger Nation report shows we must do significantly more to build on the modest gains in U.S. higher education attainment. For the first time ever, postsecondary attainment data for the nation's 100 largest metro areas will be reported. Detailed breakdowns of college attainment data are available at the national, state and county level.

Read more...

March-April: Regional Meetings will take place in Tampa, Santa Barbara, Minneapolis/St. Paul and Washington DC. Registration for the Regional Meetings is free for NCAN members, $50 for non-members!  More information, including how to register, can be found at www.collegeaccess.org/regional_meetings.aspx.

Agenda Highlights of the upcoming Regional Meetings:

• In Tampa, NCAN is honored to have Dr. Paul Dosal, Vice Provost for Student Success at the University of South Florida to deliver the Keynote Address on “Addressing the Attainment Gap.”
• In Santa Barbara, we will feature a Best Practice Panel on Serving Diverse Populations which will include Kelly Hewitt, of Scripps Academy; Noel Gomez, of Transitions, Santa Barbara Community College; Trynia Kaufman, La Paloma Family Services College Prep; and Paz Oliverez, CSU Dominguez Hills.
• In Minneapolis, the Working with Data/Using Data to Inform your Program Session will feature a Training Presentation by ACT.
• In DC, NCAN is honored to have Dr. Robert Templin President, Northern Virginia Community College to deliver the Keynote Address on “Addressing the Attainment Gap.”

April 18: NCAN’s member-only Policy Briefing will take place on Capitol Hill. The Policy Briefing is a great way to become familiar with federal policy trends in college access and success and understand how they can affect your work. Visit www.collegeaccess.org/policy_briefing.aspx for information on how to register for this free members-only event.

Programs funded through Great Lakes 2012 Academic Preparedness Grants demonstrate a focus on measureable outcomes in support of their approaches to helping disadvantaged students start and complete a degree, certificate, or credential beyond high school. Grants have been awarded in two areas:

Wisconsin Educational Growth Grants:

These grants help academic enrichment in elementary, middle, and high school levels to reduce the need for remediation and increase postsecondary success. Through this grant, Great Lakes is providing $2.3 million to 17 programs helping first through twelfth grade students and adult learners enter higher education more academically prepared, so they are more likely to graduate.

Wisconsin Summer Learning Grants:

The loss of skills during summer impacts the success of students from low-income families from one grade into another, and also their likelihood of high school graduation and success. The nine programs, receiving a total of more than $768,000 from Great Lakes’ Wisconsin Summer Learning Grants, provide much needed academic support to third through twelfth grade students and adult learners in the summer months

ACCESS and Bunker Hill Community College representatives shared information around the collaboration on financial aid for Boston Public School (BPS) students.  Of the 38 colleges in the area, 26 of them are designating a financial aid liaison assigned to work with BPS students.  The BPS students will be provided with the name and contact information of the liaison along with their award letter.  In addition, 9 of the colleges are piloting a uniform financial aid award letter supplement, which will provide BPS students with their financial aid packages delineated in a consistent manner with critical dates highlighted. This collective group of colleges and access programs will tackle additional ways to offer financial education information to the Boston students.

 Representatives from the Preparing to Dream program in Houston highlighted the work of local school districts and Houston Community College (HCC).  Working together, they put together a creative version of an early college program that is allowing students from Spring Branch ISD to earn up to 30 college credits while in high school.  The President and an administrator of one of the HCC branch campuses served as coaches to the vertical team in Spring Branch that has been redesigning their college access services to students.  The Preparing to Dream project was modeled after Achieving the Dream by utilizing coaches and data facilitators to create an environment of data-driven decision making to enhance the college going culture of the school districts involved.

NCAN and Achieving the Dream hope to deepen their relationship with each other to work towards identifying more examples of this type of work happening around the country. There is still work to be done, but these examples of deep and meaningful collaboration will ensure that the students served are being provided with a well thought out set of services and information to help ease their transition to and success in higher education institutions.

The start of the new year and financial aid season for NH’s college bound seniors always proves to be a busy time of year for The NHHEAF Network Organizations’ Center for College Planning (CCP). In partnership with the NH Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NHASFAA), the CCP will assist over 1,300 NH families with free assistance filing financial aid forms through one-on-one appointments and over 100 FAFSA filing days held at local high schools. NH students also took advantage of free college prep sessions including Test Prep 101, a free standardized test prep curriculum, which will continue to be offered this spring and college planning webinars including the most attended to date, Searching for Scholarships, where attendees explored local, regional and national scholarship opportunities and received scholarship search tips. In honor of School Counselor Week, the CCP took a moment to thank all of the school counselors throughout NH by sending offices candy jars filled with Smarties candy and a note reading, “Thanks for your hand in helping to encourage the ‘smarties’ of NH.” Currently the CCP is gearing up for Financial Aid Award Letter and Funding Options appointments to start with college bound seniors and their families this spring.

For example, the Toolkit lists the top ten fastest growing jobs in a given state over the next decade that requires a 2-year or 4-year degree.  This information is helpful for practitioners working with students as it provides a specific guide to show the benefit of higher education for various fields. Follow the link to the Skills that Work Website to find out more.

The toolkit also serves as a valuable tool for businesses. It allows them to publicize information about in-demand skills, and is a great way to encourage young workers to get the skills they need to enter the field of a specific business.

Young Invincibles and dozens of their national partners have launched the “Campaign for Young America”.  The goal of the campaign is to mobilize young adults across the country to share their voice on how to expand opportunity for their generation, putting ideas and activism of young adult at the forefront of the local, state and national conversation. In March 2012, Young Invincibles will launch their national bus tour. They will be traveling all over the country to sponsor over 100 youth roundtables  with local campus, and non-campus organizations, as well as meeting with policy makers, legislators, and key stakeholders in 15 states.

For more information about the Young Invincibles Bus Tour please click here

Nonprofit Student Assistance Foundation (SAF), financial aid professionals and other volunteers helped 1,087 Montana students complete their Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) at College Goal Montana sites across the state recently.

“That brings the total number of students and families served through this event to more than 12,000!” said Rhonda Safford, state coordinator for the event.

This year, the event was held at 16 locations on Wednesday, Feb. 8 and Sunday, Feb. 12.

In addition to providing one-on-one FAFSA completion assistance to Montana students and families through the traditional College Goal Montana sites and activities, SAF coordinated FAFSA completion Webinars in 54 communities.

Participants in the Webinar events listened to a 30-minute presentation about the FAFSA logged on to fafsa.gov and completed the form with help from site hosts and subject matter experts.

“The Webinar element of College Goal Montana really took off this year, allowing us to extend our reach across the state — we were able to help 312 students file their FAFSAs through these programs,” Safford said.

Safford thanked the almost 300 volunteers who helped with the College Goal Montana events and Webinars, and the generous donors who contributed funds to support $500 scholarships awarded to students through drawings.

Financial aid industry experts provide specialized support solutions to schools.

NSLP has expanded its Business Development Team. Lenny Akins and Craig Poleman are strategic business directors; Tom Ramaeker is a senior strategic business director focusing on extending NSLP’s products and services to graduate and professional schools.

Akins was an independent financial aid consultant in Atlanta. He also worked at JP Morgan Chase Education Finance and at Sallie Mae as the vice president of sales and as a higher education account executive. Akins, who serves the Mid-Atlantic and Southern regions, understands Title IV programs and automated financial aid management systems.

Poleman has experience in sales, customer relations and operations administration. He was a vice president and senior branch manager for Capital One Bank in Louisiana. Prior to that, he worked with Sallie Mae, Educaid and Wachovia/Wells Fargo education finance divisions. He serves the Southwestern region.

Ramaeker started his career in higher education at Omaha’s Creighton University as associate director of financial aid, where he administered Title IV federal and private loan programs. Since then, he has held sales leadership positions with Access Group. While Ramaeker has maintained a national presence through the years, for the past two years he has worked as a regional sales director for Access Group.

New Jersey-based education writer Stuart Nachbar resumes his journeys to visit schools that are among the best values in America's public colleges and universities and profile them at EducatedQuest.com, a family-focused college admissions site.

Beginning last summer and continuing through mid-December, Nachbar visited and profiled 12 schools. Starting with his alma mater, Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey, he reached as far north as the University of Connecticut and as far south as the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.

In visiting each school, Nachbar takes the same tour as prospective students and their parents, and then takes a tour on his own. He also interviews administrators in several departments and researches the school online. The end product is a profile, around 20 pages, including a report card based around "Five C's," Costs, Comforts, Curriculum, Community and Connections.

All profiles are available free at EducatedQuest.com. He plans to update them as new information becomes available close to the start of the 2012-13 school year.

Nachbar resumed this week by visiting Temple University in Philadelphia. He will be visiting Ramapo College of New Jersey and Rowan University, then he in mid-March to visit the University of Mary Washington. By year's end he expects to completely profile at least 25 schools.

To view profiles or learn more, contact Stuart at stuart@educatedquest.com or 609-406-0062

College Possible was recently selected to participate in AchieveMission’s Talent Initiative through a competitive RFP process. AcheiveMission is a national organization that builds human capital infrastructure of rapidly-growing and successful nonprofits. Chosen for its proven effectiveness, replicable model and sound financial and performance management, College Possible was one of six national nonprofits selected to receive developmental support from AchieveMission. Through this program, AchieveMission will help College Possible increase their capacity to better recruit, manage and develop the talented and idealistic personnel necessary for a greater and more sustained social impact.

College Possible currently serves 8,700 Minnesota, Nebraska and Wisconsin students with plans to reach 20,000 students annually in 10 locations across the country as early as 2015. AcheiveMission will help College Possible maintain its excellence in results through this period of rapid growth. The full press release is available at:

 http://www.achievemission.org/AboutUs/PR_Fall_2011_Talent_Initiative_Cohort.pdf.

Upcoming Webinars

March 7:   Department of Education Budget Briefing

March 14: Degreeless in Debt: What Happens to Borrowers Who Drop Out

March 28: Three-part Fundraising Series begins

All past webinars materials are available through the member portal of our website. Past topics include:

• Supporting College Students Beyond Year 1
• A Different World: The Transition from High School to College
• The Top 10 Higher Education State Policy Issues for 2012: Implications for College Access
• Answer the Call: How to Write a Successful Conference Proposal
  Impacting Communities Through Effective Leadership

Please join us for WEBINAR WEDNESDAY!

There are few cities across the countries that have been more devastated by state wide educational cutbacks than the City of Chester.  Last month, a federal judge had to step in to provide emergency economic aid to the District.  While the state ultimately sent over $3 million in additional funding, the lack of resources has meant the closing schools, merging of students, and the unfortunate inability to provide the number of quality teachers needed in the district.

The CACDC has responded to the call for support and collaboration with the creation of the Roundtable, which consists of number of regional post-secondary college and career practitioners and community groups who each were already working with the City's youth populations.

Like the Philadelphia model, the Chester version brings together professionals from the non-profit and business communities, university financial aid and admissions offices, as well as the City and School District to address common concerns, and assist the District in enhancing its’ effectiveness of college guidance.

For more information, please contact Julani Ghana, Director of the College Access Center of Delaware County (610) 499-1391 or julanicacdc@gmail.com

the RI Higher Education Assistance Authority. www.thecollegecrusade.org

Tip 1: Students should be alert and as accurate as possible. 

With the exception of the Social Security Number (SSN), students can correct any FAFSA field. 

Certain fields, especially those pertaining to financial information and marital status, should not be changed unless your answers were incorrect on the day your FAFSA was submitted. The fields that should not be changed include "on the day you submitted your FAFSA" in the question.

If a student files a FAFSA using an incorrect Social Security Number, it can be changed by either entering the correct social security number on a paper Student Aid Report (SAR), or asking the financial aid office at one of the colleges listed on your SAR to change it. Otherwise, the student must file a new FAFSA with the correct Social Security Number.

Tip 2: Each time a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or a correction to a Student Aid Report (SAR) is processed, a transaction number is created.

For example, when the student’s original FAFSA is processed, transaction 01 is created and a SAR is generated. If a correction is made to the SAR, transaction 02 is created and a new SAR is generated. If another correction is made to the SAR, transaction 03 is created and a new SAR is generated.

FAFSA on the Web displays information about the latest transaction when students log in. The Correction History page displays information about all of the transactions and allows students to select any transaction that you want to correct.

The transaction number is in the upper right corner of the box that contains the Application Receipt Date. The transaction number will be right after the partial Social Security Number and the first two letters of the student’s last name.

Tip 3: A signature is always required. When making corrections to a FAFSA online, students must sign with their Federal Student Aid PIN.

If the student is a dependent student and does not correct any of your parents’ information, then a parent signature is not required to submit a corrected FAFSA.

If the student is a dependent student and does make corrections to their parents’ information, then a parent signature is required to submit a corrected FAFSA.

The submissions were judged on relevance, innovation, impact, and potential. The CollegeKeys Compact is driven by College Board members’ commitment to the belief that all underserved students have a right to an affordable, accessible and successful college experience. This is really wonderful news for HEAF!

College Changes Everything allows each of us to reflect on our own personal obstacles and successes through our academic careers, and understand the importance that higher education plays into creating better communities. We ask that you join us in this movement and in our conversations as we explore a variety of avenues in college success today.

So follow us now on Twitter and  Facebook:

www.twitter.com/CCE_Illinois

www.facebook.com/collegechangeseverything

Over the next couple of months we will expand the opportunities to get involved in the College Changes Everything movement with the launch of a new website, quarterly publication and more. So get involved today and tell us how College Changes Everything for you.

 Making the WiseChoice for career and college exploration just got easier. Through comprehensive student questionnaires, an interactive personality assessment and proprietary matching algorithms, WiseChoice matches students with colleges and careers where they are most likely to thrive and succeed.

Recent enhancements to the WiseChoice PRO system make it an invaluable tool for any educator -- think of WiseChoice PRO as your personal assistant for college and career counseling. Education professionals can access educational videos and downloadable handouts -- perfect for anyone helping students navigate and understand the college planning process. Educators can also research colleges, scholarships, careers and financial aid programs without having to log in to an account. WiseChoice PRO registration is free, and for those interested in newly released functionality for student management and reporting tools, we also offer an upgraded version of WiseChoice PRO.

Non-profit organizations, community foundations and other professionals may also utilize WiseChoice through the Technology Improves Outcomes Project, which provides participants with immediate access to a private, online platform and the complete suite of WiseChoice tools and services for college & career planning.  

For NCAN members wishing to learn more about WiseChoice and how we can support your work, or to request a demo, please contact Matthew Cohen by email at matthew@wisechoice.com or by phone at 917.854.9534.

Attending Rio Grande has been quite an experience. Everyone at the school is nice, supportive, and willing to help with anything. I have developed a good relationship with my teachers at Rio Grande. They were very understanding when I had to miss three weeks of school and allowed me to make up the work I missed. As a result, I was able to pass my first semester of college.

I have attended many fun and exciting events on campus including cookouts and movie nights. There is something happening every weekend. My college experience has changed the way I think. I look at certain situations totally different than before.

Project GRAD helped me tremendously. Project GRAD helped me with college applications, grades, and adapting to life. Mrs. Adams never tolerated nonsense or negativity and Mrs. Harris helped me get over my fears. It was hard, but being a Student Ambassador, President of Key Club, and Vice President of my senior class helped me get to where I am now. Thank you, Project GRAD!

DEL VALLE HIGH SCHOOL G-FORCE

PRESENTS

Generation Texas College Week

Feb. 27-March 2, 2012

Monday: “Mascot Monday”

TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY - GO CENTER

Wear your favorite college t shirt, cap, backpack, lanyard or jacket.  Come by the GO Center to cast your vote for your favorite college.  The winning college will be announced at “Hip Hop Into College.”  Vote for your favorite college mascot.  View the “Mascot Gallery” D Hall.  Vote in the GO Center. The winning mascot will be announced at “Hip Hop Into College.”

Tuesday:  “Troop Tuesday”

THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS ORGANIZATIONS

UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS ARLINGTON – GO CENTER

Wednesday:  “Waffle Wednesday”

UNITED STATES MILITARY – GO CENTER

COLLEGE FORWARD – GO CENTER                                               

Waffles to seniors for acceptances to colleges!  “Wall of Fame” Signing!                                                                                                                             Military vs. Cardinal Basketball Playoff     Practice Gym   12:45-1:15 PM

Thursday:  “Tailgate Thursday”

ACC GO MOBILE – FAFSA/TASFA HELP

SAM HOUSTON STATE UNIVERSITY GO MOBILE

Juniors in Extended Advisory “Making Your College Search Count”

GENTX REGISTRATION BOOTH                                         6:00 PM                     

GENTX   “Show Me the Money” - Auditorium                    6:30 PM

HIP HOP INTO COLLEGE-Auditorium                                7:00 PM

Friday:  “G-FORCE Friday”

G-Force Pot Luck Lunch – GO CENTER – MEGALUNCH

The College Crusade of Rhode Island is the state’s most comprehensive college-readiness and scholarship program for middle school and high school students in low-income urban communities. It serves approximately 3,500 students per year and rewards their efforts and achievements with up to four years of college scholarships. From the time they enter the program through grade 12, Crusaders experience the steady, nurturing presence of caring adults and participate year-round in activities that focus on academic enrichment, social and personal development, career awareness and exploration, and preparation for college.

The College Crusade is a partner in Rhode Island GEAR UP, along with the RI Office of Higher Education, the RI Department of Education, and the RI Higher Education Assistance Authority. www.thecollegecrusade.org

The most recent publication is Maximizing the College Choice Process to Increase Fit & Match for Underserved Students. This issue examines how  first-generation, low income and minority students often face a range of challenges in the college choice process  that prevent them from attending colleges and universities that are a good fit and match for their needs. As a result, such students are less likely to persist and graduate after enrolling in college. The brief synthesizes scholarly research on college choice, fit and match, features an interview with the National College Advising Corps, and serves as a tangible resource to practitioners working to improve student success and retention in college.

All Research to Practice Briefs is available on the NCAN website at http://www.collegeaccess.org/ResearchtoPractice.aspx. Each Brief includes research synthesis as well as a practitioner interview on how they implement the research into their work.

First, Governor Snyder recommends $2 million for Michigan College Access Network 

In a joint session February 9, Governor Snyder presented his proposed FY 2013 Executive Budget. This proposed 2013 budget strategically invests in priorities such as education, infrastructure, public safety, health and human services, environment, and information technology while setting aside rainy day reserves and addressing legacy costs.

The Lumina Foundation also announced fourth quarter grants, which gave MCAN $100,000 to support the development of six College Access Networks that demonstrate collective community impact based in the strive civic infrastructure framework.

MCAN would also like to welcome a new board member – Catherine M. McNamara, CPA, Assurance, Senior Manager, BDO USA, LLP. Cathy is an assurance senior manager for BDO USA, LLP in Troy, Michigan with more than 20 years of experience in public accounting and industry. She has extensive experience serving both public and privately held companies. They are also welcoming aboard two interns, Sarah Hood, in public relations and marketing, and Brittany Ricca, in ItsMyLife intern.

On one final note, MCAN will be hosting its second Annual Conference, Measuring What Matters, is Monday, April 30, 2010.  To learn more or to register visit www.micollegeaccess.org/events/2012-conference.

Fledgling Statewide Network Makes Strides in

Coalescing College Access Community in Rhode Island

On Friday, March 23rd, college access and success professionals from across Rhode Island will convene at Rhode Island College for Rhode Island College Access Network’s (Rhode Island CAN) first annual statewide conference.

The event will gather practitioners, students and policymakers from across the state to identify and address key elements of the college access, readiness and success agenda in Rhode Island around the theme “Working Together: Organizing for college access, readiness and success in RI.”  The third and largest event hosted by the Network, the conference promises to articulate the programmatic and organizational goals for the newly-forming statewide group.

Founded in the spring of 2011, Rhode Island CAN is dedicated to the promotion of secondary degree attainment among the state's marginalized populations.  The Network is currently administratively housed at Center for Excellence and College Readiness at the Community College of Rhode Island and steered by an advisory committee comprised of professionals from federal, state and private non-profit college access organizations.  Rhode Island CAN leadership is currently cultivating its inaugural board tailored to foster greater collaboration among the state’s many college access agencies and the school districts they support.

For the Department of Education, President Obama requested $69.8 billion in discretionary funding, which is a 2.5% increase from 2012. The budget includes a $14 billion one-time strategic investment in areas the President has targeted for reform. These areas include increasing college affordability and quality; raising up the teaching profession, and aligning job training programs with workforce demands. To view the materials released by the Department of Education on its budget, please visit: http://www2.ed.gov/about/overview/budget/budget13/index.html

For College Affordability, the Department has prepared a brief (link below) with information on funding for initiatives in federal investment, state reform, institutional innovation and reform, and empowering students and families. Of note, the Pell Grant will increase as scheduled to $5635, the American Opportunity Tax Credit will become permanent, and the 3.4% subsidized student loan interest rate will be extended for another year. It also includes funding to continue the “College Scorecard” for all degree granting institutions to help students and families make the best decision about which college or university to attend.

For the college affordability brief, please click here: http://www2.ed.gov/about/overview/budget/budget13/crosscuttingissues/accessandcompletion.doc

What exactly happens on tour? No two tours are the same! Students go through a College Shopping 101 presentation before they embark upon this journey and then cast off, transported by way of a deluxe motor coach.

Exposure, Engagement, and Experience is the core thread for the tours. Exposure consists of taking young people and providing them an opportunity to see what post-secondary options can bring.  Engagement pertains to the actual campus and the activities within. Our youth are able to envision themselves on these campuses as future students. Walking the campus, in the classroom, and in the community our students are totally immersed in gain an unbelievable overall experience on our HBCU E3 Tour.  “You may start this tour undecided. You will return focused and determined.”

Al Wooten Jr. Heritage Center
First Generation College Bound
Office of the State Superintendent of Education
Missouri Department of Education

Welcome to our New Members!  To read more about them, please see below:

Al Wooten Jr. Heritage Center
Al Wooten Jr. was killed in a drive-by shooting in 1989 in South Central Los Angeles, the reported victim of a gang initiation. Rather than seek revenge, his mother, Myrtle Faye Rumph, wanted to help address the rising incidences of gang violence in her community. The Wooten Center serves more than 100 children in our afterschool and summer programs and more than 300 middle and high school students in our Street Soldiers gang prevention and College Track SAT-Prep and college advisement programs offered at four public school campuses in Los Angeles and Inglewood.

First Generation College Bound
First Generation College Bound is a community-based organization increasing the number of students who will ultimately gain admittance, matriculate and graduate from college.  FGCB provides Homework Clubs, a College Access Program and a Retention program for the students they serve.

Office of the State Superintendent of Education
The Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) plays many diverse roles in the lives of children, teens, and adults seeking an education in The District of Columbia.  OSSE through a College Access College Grant awarded by the Department of Education and its own non-matching contribution has partnered with sub-grantees to provide training for college access providers, college admissions staff and middle-high school guidance counselors.  The training will include college readiness seminars and financial aid conferences, to ensure that accurate and consistent information is provided to the students that are served by the college access programs.  OSSE will also through the sub-grantees, provide a rigorous college preparatory summer bridge program that will include free college credits, campus immersion experience and tuition assistance.

Missouri Department of Education
At the direction of the Coordinating Board for Higher Education (CBHE), the Missouri Department of Higher Education (MDHE) strives to coordinate higher education policy that fosters a quality postsecondary system, as well as to increase participation in Missouri 's public institutions. The state system of higher education serves more than 408,000 students through 13 public four-year universities, 19 public two-year colleges, one public two-year technical college, 25 independent colleges and universities and 150 proprietary and private career schools. In addition, the MDHE conducts outreach activities, such as FAFSA Frenzy, to increase awareness among Missourians regarding opportunities for postsecondary education and student financial assistance. Through its financial literacy activities and student loan default prevention initiatives, the MDHE also strives to help students avoid accumulating credit card and other types of debt as well as avoid defaulting on their educational loans.

From Diverse: Issues in Higher Education. Read the full article here.