TG Updates

Southern State Community College's Highland County College Access Network reaches students and families with help of TG grant

Highland County is a rural Appalachian County located in southern Ohio. According to census data, the county has an estimated population of over 42,000 and an 11.8 percent poverty rate. Southern State Community College (SSCC), located in the county seat of Hillsboro, serves a five-county rural area. The college offers transfer and technical credit programs and a wide range of community service initiatives, including workforce training programs.

One of these initiatives — the Highland County College Access Network (HighlandCAN!) program — provides direct services to students and their families and pre-college outreach services to first-generation college students and others.

HighlandCAN! offers four college access and success programs in the five school districts, including a college resource center staffed with an advisor; a College Club which recruits approximately 430 low-income first-generation students for tutoring and help in navigating the college pathway; the 8th Grade Pathway program, which promotes career skills-building and financial literacy at an early age; and a College Cohort group of high school seniors that attend SSCC.

TG supports the work of SSCC's HighlandCAN! with a grant from its Public Benefit Grant Program. Recently, Shoptalk Online asked program administrator Brenda Martin a few questions to learn more about the varied services the program offers.

Q.: Describe how your program generally helps the school districts in Highland County.

A.: Our schools often operate in a "silo" with very little support from outside. Many students in our Appalachian area come to school with unmet social and emotional needs that inhibit their ability to learn. And our school districts do not have the resources to meet those needs, yet are held accountable for the students' performance. The HighlandCan! Program is closely linked with the Highland County P-16 Council whose members provide many of the services that the students need. Our school's leaders, including board members and superintendents, are actively involved in the P-16 Council and work closely with the council. Schools definitely feel supported by the council and, by extension, the HighlandCan! Program.

Q.: The 8th Grade Pathway program offers a path for students interested in learning about careers. What's the value of starting at such an early age?

A.: The Highland County P-16 Council reviewed all of the key transition points along the P-16 pipeline. The transition from junior high — or middle school — to high school emerged as one of the points that needed to be addressed. Eighth-grade students choose their high school courses at this point and many students who have not done well drop out. Also, choosing high school courses without having a career direction may mean students do not take the necessary courses for higher education. Or they may not understand the relationship between education and future jobs. The value of providing career assessments at this age is to help students make the connection between school and future jobs; to identify areas of interest so high school courses align with future education goals; and to identify areas of academic weakness at an earlier age.

Q.: Can you describe some of the "enrichment activities" that the College Club offers students?

A.: HighlandCan! serves 692 students in the College Clubs. The students were taken on college campus tours to a local community college and to four-year universities. Enrichment activities include a variety of things, including visits to The Ohio State University stadium, the Wetlands, and the Glenn Research Center. Other enrichment activities included College Goal Sunday, a variety of knowledge games including College BINGO, college-themed "scavenger hunts" which serve as learning activities, and many of the learning games provided by the Ohio College Access Network (OCAN).

Q.: Can you describe current developments in the HighlandCAN! program?

A.: We hired a college success advisor who works with our cohort students as they make the transition to college. An orientation for this group has been scheduled and a summer bridge program called College Success is being developed. The college success advisor will connect seniors to social services outside the college; monitor students' grades and help facilitate tutors if necessary; and be available in the lab for students to ask questions. We should be able to follow the students during their two years at SSCC.

Q.: Are there other results so far?

A.: Our college access advisor says that tests on college awareness and financial literacy show positive results. Students have improved their knowledge in all areas related to college access. Senior in the college cohort program show the highest increases.

About TG's Public Benefit Award Program
To receive funds, organizations are required to submit proposals that address the issue of access to postsecondary education for low-to-moderate income students.

To learn more
If you'd like to learn more about TG's Public Benefit Grant Program, you'll find a description of its purpose and process on TG Online at www.tgslc.org/publicbenefit/index.cfm.

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Join TG at its summer regional trainings

TG's upcoming regional training offers a great way to learn about the latest regulatory changes. The day-long workshops offer a menu of training opportunities in a variety of areas, including policy and industry trends.

Trainings will be held in Phoenix, Ariz., in Houston, Texas, and at the University of Texas - Pan American in June and July. To learn more about the trainings, read through the following short descriptions of sessions offered. A complete listing of dates and an agenda for the regional trainings can be found at www.tgslc.org/training/regional/index.cfm.

• Federal Update: With this session, attendees learn more about recent activities that may affect the FFELP. Updates on various issues including federal common forms, Dear Colleague letters issued by the Department of Education, proposed and final federal regulations, and pending legislation are all explored in this workshop.
• Policy Potpourri: During this session, presenters use a game-show format to test the audience's knowledge of regulatory policy and federal student aid trends. The interactive presentation leaves participants knowing more about financial aid and entertains them at the same time.

To learn more
Would you like to learn more about the many training opportunities TG offers through its Speakers Bureau? Visit www.tgslc.org/speakers/index.cfm to read the training catalog. Keep in mind that TG can adapt a training session to meet the needs of your school campus. To find out how, contact your account executive at (800) 252-9743.

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