All posts by Mary Stegmeir

Admitted writer/editor Mary Stegmeir welcomes additional comments and story ideas at mstegmeir@nacacnet.org.
Access, College Completion

Georgia State Lauded for Student Success Initiative

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Georgia State University has reinvented itself.

“By focusing on retaining low-income students, rather than just enrolling them, the college raised its graduation rate to 54 percent from 32 percent in 2003,” according to a recent New York Times article. “And for the last five years, it has awarded more bachelor’s degrees to African-Americans…than any other nonprofit college or university in the country.”

Officials from the university — a NACAC member institution — say data analysis and targeted supports have helped boost student success. Advisers monitor the daily progress of the school’s 40,000 undergrads and act quickly to provide assistance at the first sign that a student is struggling.

Continue reading Georgia State Lauded for Student Success Initiative →

College Admission, Financial Aid, NACAC News

Update: Spots Available for Students at More Than 550 Colleges

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The number of colleges still accepting applications for Fall 2018 continues to grow.

More than 550 institutions have openings, financial aid, and housing available to qualified freshmen and/or transfer students, according to NACAC’s College Openings Update.

When survey data was first posted on May 3, the list included 422 colleges and universities. Since that time, dozens of additional institutions have added their information. The update, which includes public and private schools, will continue to be modified by colleges and universities through July 2.

Continue reading Update: Spots Available for Students at More Than 550 Colleges →

Importance of School Counselors, Post-College Outcomes

Charter School System Embraces New Approach to College Counseling

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About 40 percent of undergraduates at four-year institutions do not complete a degree within six years, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. And the number is even higher for low-income students.

One charter school system wants to change that statistic for their alumni. They have retooled their college counseling program and instead of focusing solely on getting into college, they now address what it takes to graduate from college.

Continue reading Charter School System Embraces New Approach to College Counseling →

Access

Study: Students of Color Disproportionately Affected by Inequitable College Spending

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Students of color are facing yet another barrier to college access and success.

A recent study from the Center for American Progress (CAP) found that two-year and four-year public colleges spend about $1,000 less per year on students of color than on white students. Collectively, this means public colleges are spending about $5 billion less per year on these students than on their white counterparts.

Continue reading Study: Students of Color Disproportionately Affected by Inequitable College Spending →

College Admission, NACAC News

Spots Still Available for Students at More Than 450 Colleges

More than 450 colleges and universities still have openings, financial aid, and housing available to qualified freshman and/or transfer students for the Fall 2018 semester, according to NACAC’s annual College Openings Update.

Both public and private colleges and universities are included on the list.

The update will remain on NACAC’s website through July 2. Colleges have been asked to modify their listings as the number of openings at their institutions changes.

Continue reading Spots Still Available for Students at More Than 450 Colleges →

Access

Michelle Obama Celebrates College Signing Day in Philadelphia

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Getting into college is just the beginning, former First Lady Michelle Obama told a group of Philadelphia students Wednesday.

The next step? Having the courage to make connections and ask for help.

“Some of you may be the first or only people from your family or your community to even take this step — and that might feel a little scary,” Obama told the teens, who were gathered to celebrate College Signing Day. “…But when you hit those roadblocks, when you have trouble in that class, when you feel like you’re falling behind — you have to ask for help.”

No one, she said, gets through college on their own.

Continue reading Michelle Obama Celebrates College Signing Day in Philadelphia →

College Completion, College Readiness

Now Available: ‘Nudges, Norms, and New Solutions’

Interested in using behavioral science to help more students get to and through college?

A new guide— Nudges, Norms, and New Solutions —is now available for educators as they develop strategies to assist college-bound students. A Nudge Hotline has also been established to help counselors and others customize the guide’s advice for the communities they serve.

Both the guide and the hotline are free and were developed through a collaboration between the Nudge4 Solutions Lab at the University of Virginia and ideas42, a nonprofit that applies behavioral science to today’s toughest social problems.

Former First Lady Michelle Obama’s Reach Higher initiative is a project partner. Topics covered in the guide include access to college, student finances, and college life and academics.

Continue reading Now Available: ‘Nudges, Norms, and New Solutions’ →

College Readiness

Report: Racial Disparities Persist in School Discipline

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New data show that racial disparities persist in school discipline, despite efforts to reduce the imbalance.

Federal statistics from the 2015-16 school year demonstrate that black students, along with Hispanic males and American Indians, face greater rates of suspension, expulsion, and arrest than their white classmates.

Continue reading Report: Racial Disparities Persist in School Discipline →

College Admission

Students: Share Your College Admission Story with The New York Times

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What got you through the admission process this year? How many hours did you devote to college search and selection? And how much money did you spend?

Those are just some of the questions reporters at The New York Times are asking college-bound students and their families. Anyone over 13 can complete a short questionnaire open now on the paper’s website.

Continue reading Students: Share Your College Admission Story with The New York Times →