HESC Awards $1M to Increase College Access

ALBANY, NY (01/25/2011)(readMedia)-- Thousands of low-income students statewide who may never have thought they could go to college, will benefit from local programs to help them prepare to enroll and succeed in college with funds from New York's College Access Challenge Grant (CACG).

The New York State Higher Education Services Corporation (HESC) is pleased to announce federal CACG awards benefitting organizations statewide that help disadvantaged students gain access to college.

New York's CACG program aims to improve college awareness, readiness, attendance and degree attainment through early outreach to families, particularly those with incomes below the poverty level, and through professional development of middle and high school counselors. Funds also support programs that provide services to high school and college students with an overall objective of increasing college degree attainment for underrepresented populations.

HESC has been serving as the designated administering agency for the CACG program in New York State since 2008. CACG provided New York State approximately $8 million in federal funds in 2008 – 2010. New York State was recently awarded an addition $7.6 million in federal CACG funds for 2010-2011.

The grant funds are distributed through a competitive process as sub grants to schools, agencies and community-based organizations across New York through education and support programming.

"These funds will help regional and statewide organizations reach thousands of students and adult learners with services that build a solid foundation for achieving a college education," said Elsa Magee, Acting President of HESC. "HESC is proud to play such a meaningful role in carrying out higher education initiatives that help underrepresented students living in New York State," she continued.

Each of the following organizations received up to $50,000 sub grants in support of their specific services for high need students and their families or for adult learners in their region:

Abyssinian Development Corporation – Bronx

Chautauqua Opportunities, Inc. – Dunkirk

College Initiative – New York

EOC/SNAP Long Island – Suffolk County

Generation Schools Network – Brooklyn

Harlem Center for Education – Manhattan

Institute for Student Achievement – Bronx

Jamestown Community College – Jamestown

LaGuardia Community College Research Foundation/CUNY – New York

Mercy College – Mt. Vernon

Moshulu Montefiore Community Center – Bronx

New York University Metropolitan Center for Urban Education – New York

Pathways College Preparatory School – New York

Research Foundation of the City of New York – New York

St. John's University – New York

SUNY Buffalo Research Foundation – Buffalo

Syracuse University – Syracuse

The Renaissance Charter School – Queens

Veterans Outreach Center, Inc. – Rochester

YMCA of Greater New York, McBurney Branch – New York

Services and activities provided through the grants include:

• College readiness, academic skill building and tutoring programs

• Stay-in-school support programs for community college students at risk for dropping out

• College admission application and Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) completion assistance

• Training for college advisors and counselors serving some of the highest need, low-income and educationally at-risk students in the State

• Family workshops on college financing, completing FAFSA and applications.

• Providing a "summer access academy" focusing on college awareness and readiness

• Outreach and counseling services, including academic & fin aid counseling, peer mentoring, college prep, tutoring and retention services, for formerly incarcerated men and women

More information about the College Access Challenge Grant Program can be found at HESC's Website at www.hesc.org.

About HESC: HESC is New York State's student financial aid agency, helping people pay for college by providing more grant and scholarship award money than any other state in the nation. At HESC's core are programs like the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP), numerous state scholarships, the New York Higher Education Loan Program (NYHELPs), federal college access grants and a highly successful College Savings program. HESC puts college within the reach of hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers each year through programs like these, and through the guidance it provides to students, families and counselors. In 2009-10, HESC helped more than 605,000 students achieve their college dreams by providing $4.4 billion in grants, scholarships and loan guarantees, including $901 million awarded through the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) to nearly 398,000 students.

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