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

2. Presented by Mary Hensley, Ed.D.
Executive Vice President, College Operations
Melissa Richardson Curtis, Ph.D.
Director, College Connection

3. Agenda Closing the Gaps College Connection Strategies
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. ACC District Overview 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-District
Out-of-District 4

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
Estimated $1 dollar in spending earns a return in

6. ACC Has Met 2010 Goals OVERALL AFRICAN AMERICAN HISPANIC WHITE Texas
Slightly Below Target
ACC
Well Above Target
2010 Target: 35,374
Fall 2009: 40,248
AFRICAN AMERICAN
2010 Target: 3,000
Fall 2009: 3,543
HISPANIC
Well Below Target
Slightly Above Target
2010 Target: 9,105
Fall 2009: 10,065
WHITE
Above Target
2010 Target: 20,115
Fall 2009: 23,043
ACC exceeds 2010 targets in every category
*Office of Institutional Effectiveness and Accountability, ACC, 2009 Fall Factbook Preview—Student Characteristics District-wide, Fall
*THECB (2009, July). Closing the gaps by 2015: 2009 Progress Report.

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
Partnerships with area school districts -- Superintendents
“Highly encouraged steps: Senior Presentation
Financial Aid orientation
Campus tours
Career Planning
Registration
“When you’re done, you’re in.”

11. Activity Grid Sample
Round Rock ISD Lead:
McNeil HS Lead:
ACC District Lead:
College Connection Lead:
Rosemary Kelly
Alberto Perez
Mary Hensley
Melissa Richardson
Director,
Associate Principal
Executive Vice President,
College Connection Director
Guidance & Counseling
College Operations
Administrative Assistant:
Executive Assistant:
Robin Wanke,
Olivia Carreno
Terri Thompson
Laurie Clark,
College Connection Online Calendar:
Senior Count: 630
ACTIVITY
DATE
TIME
LOCATION/ EQUIPMENT
COMMUNICATION
MCNEIL HS CONTACT (*Lead Contact) org
ACC CONTACT (*Lead Contact)
High School Planning Committee Meeting
Friday, June 5, 2009
10:00 AM
McNeil HS 5720 McNeil Road Austin, TX
Announcement
*Sandra Dorn sandra_dorn
*Melissa Richardson mrichard
College Connection Agreement
Prior to beginning fall semester
*Jesus Chavez jesus_chavez
*Luanne Preston luanne
Student Data Rosters to ACC
No later than September 25, 2009 or date specified in Agreement
Electronic data template (in EXCEL format)
*Connie Wall cwall Anna Troukhanova atroukha
SHADE/BOLD – Required College Connection Activities

12. College Connection Results
Growth Since Inception
Adult Education College Connection
41 % GED completers entered into ACC FY08
College Connection Growth:
Over 4 years:
1 school district to school districts
2 high schools to high schools
400 students to ,000+ students
Award-winning program
Star Award 2006
Bellwether Award 2007
Other states copying model (Maine and Florida)
Example of a program that works
Statewide College Connection training to 15 Texas Colleges in
Anticipate doing more training in 2009
Importance of transitioning adult education students
Proven model applied to high-need students
P-16
ACC staff serve on several local P-16 Councils
Actively involved in College Readiness Standards implementation
Leader in process and communication throughout Central Texas
Establishing K-12/higher education vertical teams for curriculum alignment
Hosted two regional forums in Fall 08 – over 350 participants
Students come to ACC:
Full-time
Part-time
In Summer for transfer
After military service
After career changes
While attending 4-year institution (co-enroll)

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

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

15. College-Going Culture is Becoming the Norm
College Connection Impact
College-Going Culture is Becoming the Norm
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)

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 % passing grades (C or better)

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

18. College Connection Cohort Persistence
Student Success
College Connection Cohort Persistence
Enrolled Fall 2009
Enrolled Spring 2010
Return Rate
College Connection
2,179
1,678
77.0%
All ACC*
38,069
24,758
65.0%
*Excludes College Connection Cohort

19. Student Success
Fall 2009 Student Grade Comparison (12th Class Day Students)
College Connection Students and All ACC Students
Fall 2009 Grades
College Connection Students
All ACC Students* 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
*Excludes College Connection Cohort

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

22. Impact on Other Programs and Partnerships
ACC Fall Enrollments
26% increase from
Early College Start (Dual Credit) Enrollments
167% increase from
Tech Prep Enrollments
109% increase in students collecting credit from
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

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 and Recognition
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:

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:
For more information:
Thank you for the opportunity to provide information on our efforts to Close the Gaps.
For copies of this presentation:
League for Innovations Conference