MEDIA ADVISORY: MU Answers the Call to Increase College Graduates
Successful program that encourages seniors to attend college will hold national meeting in Kansas City
Story Contact(s):
Christian Basi, BasiC@missouri.edu, 573-882-4430
WHAT: In 2010, Missouri Governor Jay Nixon challenged state education leaders to double its percentage of adults with two-year and four-year college degrees from 37 percent to 60 percent. Statewide, the number of high school students who go to college has increased by 0.3 percent in the past five years; in the high schools that partner with the Missouri College Advising Corps, the number of students who go to college has increased by 10.35 percent.
The Corps places recent college graduates in partner high schools to help students from low-income or high-minority areas apply to and attend college. In Missouri, that is accomplished by conducting individual counseling sessions and providing workshops for students and parents. During the workshops parents and their sons and daughters are instructed on how to apply to college or complete financial aid forms as well as how to choose a college that is the best fit for the student. This year, Missouri advisers will interact with more than 25,000 students in 25 high schools in Kansas City, St. Louis and rural south-central Missouri.
Tomorrow, the National College Advising Corps program directors will be in Kansas City, Mo., to host a retreat to discuss the Corps’ successes while brainstorming ideas on how to move the program forward to include more schools and more students.
WHO: During the national meeting, a leadership panel from the University of Missouri will discuss the best practices of the programs nationwide. Panelists include:
- Cathy Scroggs, vice chancellor for student affairs
- Brian Foster, provost
- Ann Korschgen, vice provost for enrollment management
- Mark Thomas, executive director of advancement
- Craig Stevenson, governmental relations, University of Missouri System
The panel will be moderated by Beth Tankersley-Bankhead, executive director of the Missouri College Advising Corps.
WHEN & WHERE: The panel discussion will take place from 1:45 to 3 p.m., Thursday, April 18 at the Kauffman Foundation Conference Center, 4801 Rockhill Road, Kansas City, Mo. A reception featuring the MU leadership, the National College Advising Corps program directors, college advisers and funders will take place from 5 to 6 p.m, Thursday, April 18 at the same location.
NOTE: “This truly is a solution to the challenge of helping our young people attain an education that will lead to personal success, economic development and innovation,” Tankersley-Bankhead said. “We’ve been fortunate that we have several partners who are investing in our program, but we’re only able to reach a small percentage of the state population at this time. With additional resources, we’re certain we could grow our program to other areas of the state, impacting thousands more students and having a positive effect on our future.”