November 13, 2014
First Lady’s
Reach Higher Initiative Supports Higher Education
Late
last month, President Obama proclaimed November 2014 to be National College
Application Month. The President wrote
that “with hard work and determination, a great education should be within
everyone’s reach,” and that “a college degree is the surest path to a stable,
middle-class life.”
As
the proclamation recognizes, “Applying to college is hard work, but it is only
the beginning of a journey that requires persistence and focus.” Too many students become discouraged when
applying to college and do not complete the process, and many who do
successfully apply and are admitted do not persist in completing a degree or
certificate. That is why, according to
the president, “As a Nation, we must lift up our students, help them achieve
their greatest potential, and work together toward an important goal: to lead
the world in college completion.”
To
do this, first lady Michelle Obama is leading the Reach Higher Initiative,
which she announced in two
videos, to inspire all students in America to take charge of their futures
by completing a post-high school degree or certificate. This could be done
through a training program, at a community college, or at a four-year college
or university. According to a press
release accompanying the first lady’s announcement, “In today’s economy, a high
school diploma just isn’t enough.
Students have to reach higher.”
The
initiative contains two challenges: the
FAFSA Completion Challenge and the Near-Peer Mentoring College Challenge. The FAFSA Completion Challenge urges every
high school senior to complete a Free
Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form*. The completion of this form enables individual
students to access more than $150 billion each year in grants, loans, and
work-study programs that help students and their families pay for college. For an entry form, and for additional
information, please go to http://www.whitehouse.gov/reach-higher/fafsa-commencement.
The Near-Peer Mentoring College Challenge urges higher education institutions to increase and enhance mentoring and college experiences for high school students. Evidence suggests that high school students who connect with other students, or “near-peers,” are often motivated to pursue higher education. This can be facilitated by having college students host high school students on campus and visit high schools, or through college alumni community outreach efforts. As the first lady points out in her video, “initiating contact with more high school students, especially those from underserved communities can help them get the encouragement they need to enroll in college.” Please visit the above link for an entry form and for additional information.
Finalists in these competitions could have the opportunity to hear from the first lady at their commencement ceremonies in spring 2015.
On a similar note, and in support of the president's agenda, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan is inviting institutions to participate in the Experimental Sites Initiative, which includes the Federal Work Study (FWS) for Near-Peer Counseling experiment. This experiment waives the requirement for institutions to pay a portion of Federal Work Study wages to students who are employed as near-peer college counselors to high school students, particularly those who are at-risk and underrepresented.
For
more information regarding this and other new experimental sites, please click here.
***
*The
next edition of OCTAE Connection will
address the FAFSA form in more detail.
National Science Board Releases New Online STEM Education
and Workforce Resource
The National Science
Board (NSB) recently released an online, interactive tool on its STEM Education
Resource website. According to
the press release, the site features “new and updated data and graphics about
STEM education and workforce in the U.S.,” and gives “answers and facts on
topics such as student proficiency, college degrees in STEM fields, and jobs in
science-related occupations.” Entities providing and coordinating services for
adult learners may find this new resource useful to their work.
This new tool allows the user to connect to the data,
trends, and analyses from the NSB’s Science and
Engineering Indicators
report, a biennial publication to Congress and the president on the state of
science and engineering, containing the latest unbiased, high-quality research.
The resource highlights 60 key questions that are arranged by
level of education and the workforce, along with various statistics, charts and
diagrams that offer responses to each of the inquiries. Consumers are able to
view and download the most recent data and illustrations, study developments,
and share material via email and/or social media. There are also links to additional
analyses for each topic.
Eligibility
for 2015 Grant Competitions
On Monday, Nov. 3, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of
Postsecondary Education (OPE) published a notice in
the Federal Register offering
institutions of higher education the chance to become eligible to apply for
the following Title III and Title V programs of the Higher Education Act of 1965:
- Strengthening
Institutions Program (SIP)
- Alaska
Native and Native Hawaiian-Serving Institutions (ANNH)
- Asian
American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions
(AANAPISI)
- Native
American Serving Nontribal Institutions (NASNTI)
- Developing
Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI)
- Hispanic-Serving
Institutions STEM and Articulation (HSI STEM)
- Promoting Postbaccalaureate
Opportunities for Hispanic Americans (PPOHA)
- Predominantly
Black Institutions (PBI)
Applications for eligibility are due by Thursday, Dec. 18. More information on the
eligibility process can be found here.
Program information can be found on OPE’s Institutional
Service Home Page.Click to edit this placeholder text.
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