Goal 1: Lead in the development of public policy that ensures access to postsecondary
Education.
KnowHow2Go is a media campaign for college awareness designed for 8th-10th graders and targeted to urban youth. Lumina Foundation is working on some pilot programs to develop caring adults and is seeking assistance from NASFAA and CGS to develop the boots on the ground strategies. The group addressed the following questions: How do we develop people to serve as boots on the ground? How do we sell this campaign? What are the benefits of KnowHow2Go for institutions? College Goal Sunday and KnowHow2Go were conceived as two completely separate programs but now form a pipeline for students seeking college access. The campaign is being piloted in only about six states within two regions.
Goal 3: Promote public awareness of student financial aid and its benefits.
College Goal Sunday information campaigns have targeted parents and students. Committee members are working on a list of stakeholders and ways to communicate with these outside groups. CGS coordinators are encouraged to contact and form partnerships with coordinating boards and other state agencies.
The committee has eight sessions that will be presented at the NASFAA conference. Each one of the sessions is related to student access and/or diversity. Here is a listing of those sessions:
- Why Can't We Be Friends: How to be Administratively Capable without Making Enemies on Campus
- Evaluating Financial Aid Web Sites
- How to Bridge the Gap between Latino Students and Their Dreams
- CashCourse: Online Just-in Time Financial Literacy for Students
- College Goal Sunday - What Has Worked and What Hasn't in Increasing College Access to Underserved Populations
- Retention of Underserved Students on College Campuses: How Financial Aid Administrators Can Help
- Institutional Community Partnerships to Enhance Foster Youth Services
Goal 5: Promote and enhance collaborative relationships between NASFAA, state and regional financial aid associations and other constituencies interested in access to higher education.
In College Goal Sunday states, there are varying levels of participation between the program and the financial aid community. The SAD Committee will develop strategies to strengthen relationships such as providing panel discussions at regional financial aid conferences on those state programs that have strong participation by the financial aid community and the benefits experienced by both the program and the state financial aid
The SAD and Research Committees were charged by Board Chair Michael Bennett to develop action plans that will address higher education needs among underserved populations through direct program outreach strategies. SAD Committee members, Tim Christensen and Marcia Weston addressed the Research Committee on current outreach initiatives and suggested opportunities for the committees to collaborate. One of the opportunities includes creating more effective ways to provide the middle and high school guidance community with financial aid information to be used as resources for students and families. The development of a guidance counselor portal in collaboration with NACAC and ASCA is one project that is moving forward.
College Access Preconference
The 2007-08 SAD Committee will conduct a free, half-day workshop on enhancing college access and success for underserved students as a follow-up to last year's workshop. Ivan Juzang, founder and president of Philadelphia-based MEE Productions is assisting in planning and implementing the workshop.
The committee's review of relevant research has convinced us that access and success are enhanced most effectively when outreach efforts focus on crafting messages and encouraging certain behaviors among members of specific target student groups. The student groups we propose to address at the 2008 workshop include urban, especially African-American male; Native American; rural; adult learners; and foster youth.
The expected outcomes of the workshop are (1) enhanced participant understanding of the process of conducting audience research and message development, and (2) insight into the characteristics and needs of specific groups within the target audience of underserved students.
Foster Youth Webinars
The NASFAA SAD Committee is preparing to provide Webinars on youth in foster care. The first Webinar will focus on broad content and introduce the wealth of resources that financial aid administrators and other higher education administrators can tap into when dealing with Foster Youth. This webinar will be recorded and sent to other audiences that come in contact with this population like NACAC.
The second Webinar will focus on campus-based, community, and state models. This information will be of value to organizations interested in developing programs.
