Category Archives: NACAC News

NACAC Urges Passage of DREAM Act

NACAC expressed its strong support today for the reintroduction of the DREAM Act, which would provide certain undocumented students the opportunity to become lawful permanent residents and eventually apply for citizenship.

The DREAM Act, first proposed in the early 2000s and reintroduced this afternoon by Senator Lindsay Graham (R-SC) and Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL), would also allow states to grant in-state tuition to DREAMers — making a college degree more affordable for thousands of students.

Continue reading NACAC Urges Passage of DREAM Act

NACAC Member Retires After 67 Years Serving Students

After 67 years working with students, one of NACAC’s most experienced members has stepped away from the desk.

Lillian Orlich retired last month from her position as a counselor at Osbourn High School in Manassas, Virginia. She spent all but three years of her career serving students in the Manassas area, first as a teacher and then as a counselor.

“Her former students and counselees became doctors, lawyers, accountants, and landscapers,” according The Washington Post. “Manassas City Major Hal Parrish was in her social studies course in the late 1960s. NBA legend David Robinson checked into her office in the early 1980s.”

Continue reading NACAC Member Retires After 67 Years Serving Students

#NACACreads: For-Profit Colleges Examined in ‘Lower Ed’

Tressie McMillan Cottom

How do students interpret the value of for-profit colleges?

You may be surprised. Tressie McMillan Cottom — author of Lower Ed — certainly was.

While the high cost of attending for-profit schools automatically triggers concerns about debt and default for many college counselors, price is often viewed in an entirely different light by students.

“I was stunned to learn that students used high price to indicate institutional quality,” she tweeted during a Monday #NACACreads discussion of her book. “That alone subverts almost everything we know!”

Continue reading #NACACreads: For-Profit Colleges Examined in ‘Lower Ed’

#NACACreads: Join Us Monday to Discuss ‘Lower Ed’

How do social inequalities shape access to education, and what can counselors and admission professionals do to help students navigate an increasingly complex array of postsecondary choices?

Discuss those questions and more on Monday during a #NACACreads discussion of Lower Ed: The Troubling Rise of For-Profit Colleges in the New Economy.

The chat will kick off on Twitter at 2 p.m. ET.

Author Tressie McMillan Cottom will participate in the hour-long discussion, and there will be plenty of opportunities for you to share your own thoughts about the book, as well as for-profit colleges.

Continue reading #NACACreads: Join Us Monday to Discuss ‘Lower Ed’

Get Ready for #NACACreads with Tressie McMillan Cottom

Can you believe it’s already June? That means our next #NACACreads book club chat is just days away.

On June 12, we’ll discuss Lower Ed: The Troubling Rise of For-Profit Colleges in the New Economy.

The conversation will kick off at 2 p.m. ET on Twitter, and we’d love to have you join the chat!

Author Tressie McMillan Cottom will participate in the hour-long discussion, and there will be plenty of opportunities for you to share your own thoughts about the book, as well as for-profit colleges.

Continue reading Get Ready for #NACACreads with Tressie McMillan Cottom

NACAC Workshop: Learn More about Counseling and Recruiting International Students

I just completed my 19th year as director of college counseling at Kents Hill School in Maine, 15 years of which also included building and directing its international program. As I close this chapter and begin my next as director of academic advising and college counseling at The American School in London, I am awed at the rapidly changing landscape of international students in the US, particularly at our high schools, and the dire need for more professional development on both the secondary school and college side in support of this growing population of students.

Continue reading NACAC Workshop: Learn More about Counseling and Recruiting International Students

Sylvia Karpf Celebrates 30 Years with NACAC

Sylvia Karpf

Sylvia Karpf knows what it takes to keep NACAC’s National College Fairs program humming along.

From planning and promoting individual fairs, to negotiating with vendors and managing the program’s operating budget—Karpf has done it all over her three-decade tenue with the association.

“I still come to work with the same excitement that I had on my first day,” said Karpf, who joined the college fairs program as an administrative assistant and now serves as the department’s senior associate director. “I love the program, and I love what I do.”

Karpf, who celebrates her 30th year with NACAC this month, recently sat down with Admitted to talk about finding her niche, the value of college fairs, and what inspires her work.

Continue reading Sylvia Karpf Celebrates 30 Years with NACAC

Imagine Fund Supports Iowa Student Conference

Teens need good information as they approach the college application process, but they also need inspiration.

The latter factor is a key component of an Iowa youth leadership conference that encourages teens to include higher education in their postsecondary plans.

The day-long event — held last month at Mount Mercy University (IA) — was supported by a $900 grant from NACAC’s Imagine Fund. The conference is aimed at students who have traditionally been underserved by America’s colleges and universities.

Continue reading Imagine Fund Supports Iowa Student Conference

Spots Still Available for Students at More Than 500 Colleges

The number of colleges still accepting applications for Fall 2017 continues to grow.

More than 500 institutions have openings, financial aid, and housing available to qualified freshmen and/or transfer students, according to NACAC’s College Openings Update.

When survey was first posted on Thursday morning, the list included 414 colleges and universities. Since that time, dozens of additional schools have added their information. The update, which includes public and private institutions located here and abroad, will continue to be modified by colleges and universities through July 30.

Continue reading Spots Still Available for Students at More Than 500 Colleges