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Putting college success within reach |
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Inaugurated in fall 2006, the Associated Colleges of Illinois' (ACI) College Success Network is a statewide partnership through which ACI's private, mission-driven colleges and universities seek to increase the number of minority, low-income, and first-generation students who successfully earn college degrees within six years. By working together to deliver the special services and supports needed to promote college success among these “at-risk” students, ACI's College Success Network (CSN) already is achieving fall-to-fall retention rates of 87%, compared to the national retention rate for all freshmen of only 73.6% RATIONALE: Minority, low-income, and first-generation students (known as “underserved” students) are falling behind in the race to earn college degrees. For these students – the students most at risk for giving up on higher education – the six-year graduation rate is only 26%. Even among low-income students fully qualified to enter college, 48% cannot afford a four-year college or university, and 22% cannot afford any college at all. And even when they're able to finance higher education, underserved students confront deficits in study skills and core competencies; social isolation; family problems; and unexpected expenses for books, fees, and extracurricular activities, which can undermine their best efforts. ACI's 23 member colleges and universities are especially qualified to nurture underserved students because these schools embody the characteristics now identified with “high graduation rate” institutions: low student/faculty ratios; accessible, full-time faculty; shared values; residential life; and a focus on student retention. ACI members have a longstanding commitment to diversity on campus, and they already graduate minority students at higher rates than do other Illinois institutions. Finally, ACI's College Success Network builds on more than a decade of success in ACI's College Readiness Program, which has consistently produced high school graduation rates of 99% and college entrance rates of 95%. How CSN Works: ACI's College Success Network provides underserved students at ACI member institutions with the comprehensive support they need to succeed in college. In late spring each year, after high school seniors have been accepted to college and have chosen to attend ACI members, CSN partners use consistent assessment tools to identify those students most at risk for failing to complete their degrees. These students are invited to join ACI's College Success Network. Membership entitles them to a scholarship that helps close the tuition gap, as well as services custom-designed for underserved students: book vouchers; intensive academic advising and personalized support from peer and faculty mentors; and access to workshops and conferences that develop study skills, build leadership capacity, and provide CSN students with a sense of community. ACI's College Success Network is supported by Lumina Foundation for Education, the Foundation for Independent Higher Education, and the Jacob G. Schmidlapp Trusts, Fifth Third Bank, Trustee. STRATEGIES: ACI's College Success Network is built around well-researched best practices for retaining at-risk students and increasing graduation rates among low-income, minority, and other underserved students.
RESULTS: Now in its second year, ACI's College Success Network already has shown promising results.
For information about ACI's College Success Network, please contact: Cindy Diehl Yang | ||||
