Fall 2007 Access Report

Message from the President of The Sallie Mae Fund

Kathleen M. deLaski, president of The Sallie Mae Fund This summer I had the opportunity to be part of the impressive gathering of college access professionals at the NCCEP/GEAR UP conference. What struck me as I moved from room to room, hearing best practices on subjects from mentoring to parent engagement? (And there were 25 seminars during each session!) You could feel the passion of non-profits, schools and foundations moving to more solid ground — to tested, proven practices. I think I heard a nod from the crowd when I told the 1,000-plus attendees that "college access" can now be called a professional discipline with something approximating a career track. I have seen the change in the applications I get for our education foundation just in the six years of The Sallie Mae Fund's existence.

Has experience brought higher impact? I see it in the organizations in which I am involved, such as the DC College Access Program in Washington, D.C. Since 1999, the group's efforts have doubled the number of high school seniors moving from high school to college. Whereas five years ago, our stated goal was college "access," and we looked good by that measure, excellent data-gathering by the team showed us that most of those college kids in D.C. were not graduating. Now, more experience has taught us that a college retention team with hotlines and individual interventions can result in 70% of those college-bound kids graduating in six years or still actively pursuing degrees. This far exceeds the average for urban school districts, such as D.C.

Much more needs to be done, of course, and that is why The Fund partners with local and state organizations such as the National College Access Network (NCAN), which works with schools and community groups to develop college access programs. On Oct. 7–9, many of these organizations will come together for NCAN's 2007 Annual Conference in Los Angeles. More than 550 education professionals and policymakers will gather to network with colleagues, discuss best-practices access strategies, and learn more about model programs that are being used today to help better meet the needs of college students.

As the new academic year unfolds, many first-generation students are learning the ropes of what it means to be the first in their family to attend college. Like John Rios, a 2007 recipient of a First in My Family scholarship, they are likely to encounter challenges unique to first-generation college students — challenges that can hinder their success in school. By 2015, there will be an additional 5 million college-age individuals in our country. Approximately 80% of this growth is projected to come from minority populations with greater financial need.

For the fourth fall, we have launched the 2007 Paying for College Bus Tour to meet with students and families, most first-generation college attendees. With its first stop Sept. 8 in Des Moines, Iowa, the tour will visit more than 30 cities this fall, finishing in Jackson, Mississippi on Dec. 5. In spring 2008, the bus will head west to visit more than 30 other locations.

I want to close by thanking the national education and media partners who support the 2007 Paying for College Bus Tour, including the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, Council for Opportunity in Education, National Association for College Admission Counseling, National Council for Community and Education Partnerships, MTV Tr3s, and Project Grad USA. Their efforts, along with others, have already reached nearly 100,000 families with the message that college is possible for everyone.

Also in this issue of the Access Report: