1. Collaborative Strategies to Serve Low-Income Students
Annie Gray, PhD
Heidi Leming, PhD

2. Overview Beyond Financial Aid Assessment Tool
The Tennessee BFA Beta Initiative
TN BFA Convening in March Self Study Data
Development of Campus Plans
Development of System Plan
Campus Examples of Innovative Practice: Pellissippi State Community College
System-level Resource Development
Lessons Learned & Next Steps
Q & A

3. Learning Outcomes
Gain an understanding of data to identify low-income students and better understand their needs.
Gain an understanding of how to develop financial support that extend beyond tuition to include benefits such as food assistance and health care.
Identify institutional and state-level policies that inhibit low-income student enrollment and persistence.
Identify how to leverage partnerships with local and regional service agencies to recruit low income adult learners and veterans to enroll in postsecondary education.

4. Theoretical Grounding
ONGOING RESEARCH on college student poverty from the team of Dr. Sara Goldrick-Rab at The HOPE Center for College, Community & Justice (formerly, the University of Wisconsin’s HOPE Lab).
Goldrick-Rab, S., Broton, K., & Eisenberg, D. Hungry to Learn: Addressing Food & Housing Insecurity Among Undergraduates. (2015)

5. Theoretical Grounding
Community College Survey of Student Engagement Data and Report (2017)
91% of CSEE respondents state they need information about financial assistance and 27% feel their school doesn’t do an adequate job of providing this information
63% live paycheck to paycheck
74% of students with children state they live paycheck to paycheck
The Center for Community College Student Engagement.“Making Ends Meet: The Role of Community Colleges in Student Financial Health.” (2017).

6. TN BFA Initiative March 2016 BFA State-wide Convening
Focus on using campus data to identify stress points
Focus on intersections and opportunities of policy and practice
Campus Self-Assessment
Campus Plans for Low-Income Student Support
Application for CNCS Funding for AmeriCorps VISTA Members to Scale Low-Income Student Support Services
Financial Literacy Training – EdSouth Partnership
Connect with TN Promise and TN Reconnect Communities

7. BFA Assessment Tool

8. Innovative Practice Innovative Practice
Office of Student Affairs
Develops sustainable protocols and processes for a pantry, garden, financial literacy programming, and a college/community support coalition
Develops and enacts a new intra-college communications model for student support staff

9. College & Community Partners
Innovative Practice
Innovative Practice
College & Community Partners
Office of Student Affairs

10. Innovative Practice New Resources
IN PROGRESS:
Financial Literacy Programming & Community Coalition
ESTABLISHED: Combined pantry/garden program

11. Innovative Practice New Resources
IN PROGRESS:
New Student Support Services Communications Model adapted from healthcare industry

12. Scaling It Up 4 AmeriCorps VISTA Members Focus Areas
1. Review data to identify low-income students and better understand their needs within TBR institutions.
2. Partner with TBR institutions in the development of financial aid packages that extend beyond tuition support to include benefits such as food assistance and health care. 
3. Identify TBR and state-level policies that inhibit low-income student enrollment and persistence.             
4. Identify ways to increase student academic progression and use data to develop campus-level interventions.
5. Leverage relationship with TN Promise partnering organizations, local, and regional services agencies to facilitate outreach to low income and veteran students to enrollin postsecondary education.
6. Develop a system-level plan to assist TBR institutions in the implementation of financial literacy training for all incoming students.
7. Develop career service outreach plans for TBR institutions to expand job placement services for students from low-income backgrounds.

13. System-Level Resources
Campus User Guides
Service Data Warehouse

14. Lessons Learned Institutional Commitment
President sets tone, invites full college participation as process rolls out
Secure funding for a central person to coordinate partnerships and project design
Engage a cross-section of campus advocates (support staff, admin, student groups faculty)
Integrate academic and co-curricular volunteer opportunities for students
Promote and reward civic engagement among employees
Explore and employ communications models that allow for cross-functional work teams that flatten out hierarchical structures and encourage improved communication among silos

15. Next Steps Work to be Done:
Future work on connecting job placement services to low-income students
Statewide Service Learning Consortium
Streamlining and normalizing holistic communication among all student support sectors

16. Q & A
For more information on the Tennessee Board of Regents Low Income Student Support Initiative, go to