1. Innovations 2010 March 29, 2010 College Connection: Removing Barriers, Improving Access

2. Presented by Mary Hensley, Ed.D. Executive Vice President, College Operations 512-223-7618 mhensley@austincc.edu Melissa Richardson Curtis, Ph.D. Director, College Connection 512-223-7088 mrichard@austincc.edu

3. Agenda Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board effort to increase participation in higher education Closing the Gaps Partnerships with school districts One-on-one admissions assistance Serving students on their high school campuses College Connection Strategies Results and impact Interactive activity Removing Barriers, Improving Access

4. 1 of 50 Texas community colleges 8-county service area 7,100 square miles 30 independent school districts 7 campuses (8 th under construction) 10 centers and 114 sites 40,000 + credit students 10,000 non-credit students In-District Out-of-District ACC District Overview

5. Closing the Gaps Increasing College Participation If 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 2015 Increase student enrollment in higher education by 630,000 ACC’s Goal by 2015 Increase student enrollment to 41,243 Make college attractive to traditionally under-represented students

6. OVERALL TexasSlightly Below Target ACC Well Above Target 2010 Target: 35,374Fall 2009: 40,248 AFRICAN AMERICAN TexasWell Above Target ACC Well Above Target 2010 Target: 3,000Fall 2009: 3,543 HISPANIC TexasWell Below Target ACC Slightly Above Target 2010 Target: 9,105Fall 2009: 10,065 WHITE TexasSlightly Below Target ACC Above Target 2010 Target: 20,115Fall 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.pdfhttp://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.www.thecb.state.tx.us/reports/PDF/1852pdf

7. 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

8. College Connection Strong institutional commitment brought growth in resources and partnerships Initiated through existing institutional resources 14 school districts, first 3 years Growth funded through multiple grants Two Mobile Go Centers College Connection activities and community outreach $300,000 + Now fully sustained with institutional resources

9. 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

10. College Connection The college enrollment process on the high school campuses 100 percent participation of college seniors ACC expert staff provide one-on-one support Letters of acceptance given to seniors at graduation Required Application Admissions test Pre-advising Academic advising Graduation letter Optional Student life info Teleconference Campus tours Registration Other Recommended Senior presentation Financial aid application

11. Activity Grid Sample SHADE/BOLD – Required College Connection Activities Round Rock ISD Lead:McNeil HS Lead:ACC District Lead:College Connection Lead: Rosemary KellyAlberto PerezMary HensleyMelissa Richardson Director,Associate PrincipalExecutive Vice President,College Connection Director Guidance & Counseling512-464-6302College Operations223-7088 512-464-5075alberto_perez@roundrockisd.org223-7618mrichard@austincc.edu Rosemary_Kelly@roundrockisd.orgmhensley@austincc.edu Administrative Assistant: Executive Assistant:Robin Wanke, 223-7084 Olivia CarrenoTerri ThompsonLaurie Clark, 223-7618rwanke@austincc.edu 512-464-5100512-464-6302lclark2@austincc.edu olivia_carreno@roundrockisd.orgterri_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 ACTIVITYDATETIME 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, 200910:00 AMMcNeil HS 5720 McNeil Road Austin, TX 78729 Email Announcement*Sandra Dorn sandra_dorn *Melissa Richardson mrichard College Connection AgreementPrior to beginning fall semester *Jesus Chavez jesus_chavez *Luanne Preston luanne Student Data Rosters to ACCNo later than September 25, 2009 or date specified in Agreement Electronic data template (in EXCEL format) *Connie Wall cwall Anna Troukhanova atroukha

12. College Connection Results Growth Since Inception

13. ACC Applications From High School Seniors Increased by 3,635% College Connection Results ACC Enrollments Directly after High School Increased by 56%

14. Area High School Graduation Increased by 11% College Connection Impact College/University Enrollments Directly After High School Increased by 21%

15. 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

16. 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)

17. Diversity of Participants College Connection Fall 2009 Enrollments by Ethnicity Overall ACC Fall 2009 Enrollments by Ethnicity

18. Student Success Enrolled Fall 2009 Enrolled Spring 2010Return Rate College Connection 2,1791,67877.0% All ACC*38,06924,75865.0% College Connection Cohort Persistence *Excludes College Connection Cohort

19. Fall 2009 Grades College Connection StudentsAll ACC Students* N%N% A1,18419.3%28,68035.9% B1,71728.1%22,32227.9% C1,57525.7%14,80618.5% D5158.4%3,7814.7% F93215.2%8,53910.7% I390.6%7560.9% IP1572.6%1,0931.4% TOTAL6,119100%79,977100% Fall 2009 Student Grade Comparison (12 th Class Day Students) College Connection Students and All ACC Students *Excludes College Connection Cohort Student Success

20. 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

21. College Connection 2+2+2 College Access Challenge Grant $199,998 for 2009-11 University partnerships Texas State University (public) Southwestern University (private) Brings transfer advising to 5 underserved high schools Three urban, two rural 503 high school students served to date Supports College Connection enrolled students’ transfer goals Unique Transfer Academy 480 ACC students served to date

22. 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

23. 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

24. 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

25. 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

26. 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

27. 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.”

28. 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?

29. For copies of this presentation: www.austincc.edu/collegeconnection/presentations/3-29-10, League for Innovations Conference For more information: www.austincc.edu/collegeconnection