College Access Making Gains
Posted on October 14, 2011 by Randy Maiers
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, or so the saying goes. If that saying is true, then the partners behind local College Access and KnowHow2Go efforts should be flattered. Earlier this month two additional College Access Coordinators began full-time work in St. Clair County, joining Richard Murphy, our region’s first Coordinator.
Raquel Hensley, from the University of Michigan, has joined Richard at Port Huron High School. David Lanore, from Michigan State University, has been assigned to Capac and Yale High Schools. Both are graduate students from the National College Advising Corps (advisingcorps.org), which is an innovative program that works to increase the number of low-income, first-generation college and underrepresented students who enter and complete higher education.
St. Clair County was one of the first counties in Michigan to have a full-time College Access Coordinator in Richard Murphy. Murphy’s position was created two years ago using financial support from one of the Acheson endowment funds at the Community Foundation, and the collaboration of Port Huron High School, the Port Huron Area School District, and the St. Clair County Regional Educational Service Agency (RESA).
After the first two years the program was making a significant impact. The percentage of graduating high school seniors enrolling in college out of Port Huron High School increased more than any other high school in the county. Murphy was also demonstrating the ability to help local students take greater advantage of the Tuition Incentive Program which can cover the tuition costs of pursuing an associate’s degree for qualified students.
Seeing the early results, St. Clair County RESA began working alongside the Michigan College Access Network (Micollegeaccess.org), to secure the financial commitments necessary to bring two more College Access Coordinators to the county.
At about the same time Raquel and David were beginning their new jobs earlier this month, more bittersweet news came out. The amount of Pell Grant funding coming into St. Clair County was increasing dramatically. Pell Grants are a federally funded scholarship for income qualified students. In the 48060 zip code, the amount of Pell Grant funding increased more than 130% from just over $3 million in the 2007/08 school year to just over $7 million last year. That $7 million went to support the education of more than 2,000 local residents. Other zip codes seeing more than a 100% increase in Pell Grant funding included; 48059 (Fort Gratiot & Lakeport), 48074 (Smiths Creek), 48079 (St. Clair) and 48001 (Algonac).
Joanne Hopper, director of Education Services at RESA and a co-chair with our own Lynn Alexander of the local College Access Network, is well aware that the poor economic climate in Michigan and St. Clair County also contribute to more students being eligible for Pell Grants. However, she adds that, “We’re creating a culture of awareness (for college education) and it is definitely making an impact.”
Her comments reveal the secret to the success of local efforts. The College Access message isn’t coming just from RESA, or Port Huron Schools, it’s coming from the Community Foundation and our Education Task Force, from Mike Sharrow in Algonac and Chip Mossett at Port Huron Northern, from the SONS organization, from Baker College and SC4, the Economic Development Alliance and the BlueMeetsGreen plan.
Whether it’s a degree from Michigan, or EMU (my alma mater), Baker College or SC4, or a skilled trade, more students are seeking some form of post-secondary education because the message is coming from so many places. From bus tours of college campuses, to assistance with the FAFSA form, to ACT prep courses and KnowHow2go ads, the partners, people and organizations behind these efforts are making a difference.
