Innovations 2010March 29, 2010

College Connection: Removing Barriers, Improving Access

Presented byPresented by

• Mary Hensley, Ed.D.Executive Vice President, College Operations512-223-7618mhensley@austincc.edu

• Melissa Richardson Curtis, Ph.D.Director, College Connection512-223-7088mrichard@austincc.edu

Agenda

• 1 of 50 Texas community colleges

• 8-county service area

• 7,100 square miles

• 30 independent school districts

• 7 campuses (8th under construction)

• 10 centers and 114 sites

• 40,000+ credit students

• 10,000 non-credit students

In-DistrictOut-of-District

ACC District Overview

Closing the Gaps

Increasing College ParticipationIf more Texans do not earn college degrees by 2030, Texas

could lose up to $40 billion in annual household income.Unfunded initiative by Texas Higher Education Coordinating

Board

The Texas Goal by 2015Increase student enrollment in higher education by 630,000

ACC’s Goal by 2015Increase student enrollment to 41,243Make college attractive to traditionally under-represented

students

OVERALLTexas Slightly Below Target

ACC Well Above Target2010 Target: 35,374 Fall 2009: 40,248

AFRICAN AMERICAN

Texas Well Above Target

ACC Well Above Target2010 Target: 3,000 Fall 2009: 3,543

HISPANICTexas Well Below Target

ACC Slightly Above Target2010 Target: 9,105 Fall 2009: 10,065

WHITETexas Slightly Below Target

ACC Above Target2010 Target: 20,115 Fall 2009: 23,043

ACC Has Met 2010 Goals

*Office of Institutional Effectiveness and Accountability, ACC, 2009 Fall Factbook Preview—Student Characteristics District-wide, Fall 2005-2009. http://www.austincc.edu/oiepub/pubs/factbook/preview_fall09/full-preview.pdf*THECB (2009, July). Closing the gaps by 2015: 2009 Progress Report. www.thecb.state.tx.us/reports/PDF/1852pdf.

College Connection

• Major element of ACC’s response to Closing the Gaps

• Keystone in ACC’s comprehensive P-16 Initiative

• Partnerships with 25 area school districts and 57 high schools

• Memorandums of Understanding signed annually

• Relationships with school districts continuously supported

• District administrators/superintendents

• High school principals/counselors

• Data sharing (FERPA compliant)

• Annual planning/strategy meetings

College Connection

College Connection

• ACC’s Executive Vice President for College Operations is single-point-of contact for district superintendents

• ACC committed at the highest executive levels

• No cost to the school district

• ACC Foundation offers $2,500 College Connection Scholarship to incoming freshmen

• One per school district, minimum

College ConnectionThe college enrollment process on the high school campuses100 percent participation of college seniorsACC expert staff provide one-on-one supportLetters of acceptance given to seniors at graduation

Activity Grid Sample

SHADE/BOLD – Required College Connection Activities

Round Rock ISD Lead: McNeil HS Lead: ACC District Lead: College Connection Lead:Rosemary Kelly Alberto Perez Mary Hensley Melissa RichardsonDirector, Associate Principal Executive Vice President, College Connection DirectorGuidance & Counseling 512-464-6302 College Operations 223-7088512-464-5075 alberto_perez@roundrockisd.org 223-7618 mrichard@austincc.eduRosemary_Kelly@roundrockisd.org mhensley@austincc.edu

Administrative Assistant:Administrative Assistant: Administrative Assistant: Executive Assistant: Robin Wanke, 223-7084Olivia Carreno Terri Thompson Laurie Clark, 223-7618 rwanke@austincc.edu512-464-5100 512-464-6302 lclark2@austincc.edu

olivia_carreno@roundrockisd.org terri_thompson@roundrockisd.org

College Connection Online Calendar: http://www.austincc.edu/cgi-bin/cgiwrap/calcium/Calcium.pl/Calcium.pl?Op=ShowIt&CookieParams=1&CalendarName=RRISD_McNeil

Senior Count: 630

ACTIVITY DATE TIME LOCATION/EQUIPMENT COMMUNICATION

MCNEIL HS CONTACT(*Lead Contact)

name@roundrockisd.org

ACC CONTACT (*Lead Contact)

name@austincc.edu

High School Planning Committee Meeting

Friday, June 5, 2009 10:00 AM McNeil HS5720 McNeil RoadAustin, TX 78729

Email Announcement *Sandra Dornsandra_dorn

*Melissa Richardson mrichard

College Connection Agreement Prior to beginning fall semester

*Jesus Chavezjesus_chavez

*Luanne Prestonluanne

Student Data Rosters to ACC No later than September 25, 2009 or date specified in Agreement

Electronic data template (in EXCEL format)

*Connie Wallcwall

Anna Troukhanovaatroukha

College Connection Results

Growth Since Inception

ACC Applications From High School Seniors Increased by 3,635%

College Connection Results

ACC Enrollments Directly after High School Increased by 56%

Area High School Graduation Increased by 11%

College Connection Impact

College/University Enrollments Directly After High School Increased by 21%

91% report that they plan to attend college directly after high school graduation

Of the 9% who did plan to attend college, 65% of those said they planned to go to college at a later date

Completing a college application and meeting with a college representative were ranked the top two most helpful activities for preparing for further education

-- Central Texas Student Futures Project, Ray Marshall Center, The University of Texas (2009)

College-Going Culture is Becoming the Norm

College Connection Impact

College Connection Access and Success

• College Connection enrollees are majority-minority

• College Connection students persist at higher rates than ACC’s overall population

• College Connection students withdraw from classes at same rate of overall population (17%)

• College Connection students average 73% passing grades (C or better)

Diversity of ParticipantsCollege Connection Fall 2009 Enrollments by Ethnicity

Overall ACC Fall 2009 Enrollments by Ethnicity

Student Success

Enrolled Fall 2009

Enrolled Spring 2010 Return Rate

College Connection 2,179 1,678 77.0%

All ACC* 38,069 24,758 65.0%

College Connection Cohort Persistence

*Excludes College Connection Cohort

Fall 2009 Grades

College Connection Students All ACC Students*

N % N %

A 1,184 19.3% 28,680 35.9%

B 1,717 28.1% 22,322 27.9%

C 1,575 25.7% 14,806 18.5%

D 515 8.4% 3,781 4.7%

F 932 15.2% 8,539 10.7%

I 39 0.6% 756 0.9%

IP 157 2.6% 1,093 1.4%

TOTAL 6,119 100% 79,977 100%

Fall 2009 Student Grade Comparison (12th Class Day Students)College Connection Students and All ACC Students

*Excludes College Connection Cohort

Student Success

Opening Doors

“Because of College Connection and because of Austin Community College, I have been able to make smart choices about college and my future.” – LBJ High School

Graduate, ACC Student

“With the start that I got from College Connection and the support that I got once I arrived at ACC, I have learned a lot about what it takes to go to college. I have learned so much that I have been able to help my friends know what to do. One of my best friends is finally going to start at Austin Community College in the fall because I shared with her that if I can do it, she can do it, too.” – Bastrop High School Graduate, ACC Student

College Connection 2+2+2

College Access Challenge Grant

ACC Fall Enrollments 26% increase from 2004-2009

Early College Start (Dual Credit) Enrollments 167% increase from 2004-2009

Tech Prep Enrollments 109% increase in students collecting credit from 2003-2008

Summer Bridge College Connection success leveraged for grant funding

Major Regional Initiatives Foundation for Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce’s push to

increase area college applications and FAFSA completions

Impact on Other Programs and Partnerships

State and National Impact

• 22+ Texas community colleges adopting College Connection

• Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board offering planning and implementation grants• ACC provided training

• Other states adopt College Connection models• Florida Department of Education: “Go Higher

– Get Accepted”

• Maine: Law requiring high school seniors to complete one college application

• Colleges from California to North Carolina consult with Austin Community College

Awards

• 2009 League for Innovation “Innovation of the Year”

• 2007 Bellwether Award Winner

• 2006 THECB Star Award Winner

• 2006 Excelencia in Education Semi-Finalist

Media• Selections:

Awards and Recognition

Best Practices and Tips

• Do away with thinking that school districts, schools, and students “have to come to the college” to complete college processes

• Customize to meet school district needs

• School districts differ from college

• School districts differ from each other

• Focus on what works for the school district

• Start small – do what you can with existing staff and resources

Best Practices and Tips

•Expand – ask the school district, “What else can we do for your students?”

•A successful program leads to additional success•Additional resources

•Grant opportunities

•Community support

•New requests for partnerships

•Positive media

• Foundation for additional programs

Best Practices and Tips

•Partnerships aren’t always perfect

•Tough times will happen

•Famous last words – right above the signature line:

•“The partnership agreement covers only the essential elements of a cooperative relationship; unexpected events may arise that require mutual understanding, communication, and trust.”

Interactive Opportunity

•What school district partnerships does your college currently have in place?

•What stakeholders do you need to engage?

•What barriers do you need to overcome?

•What unique community characteristics will impact your school partnership strategies? In what way?

•What is one thing you can do in the next month to engage your area high school students in college planning?

For copies of this presentation:

www.austincc.edu/collegeconnection/presentations/3-29-10, League for Innovations Conference

For more information:

www.austincc.edu/collegeconnection