New York State Association for
College Admission Counseling
Coming Together Conference
Jim Miller
University of Wisconsin-Superior
NACAC Board of Directors
Where in the World is Superior,
Wisconsin?
Superior
A Guy from Wisconsin
What’s that about?
• Green Bay Packers – wears a
Cheesehead
• Likes cows, or at least eats cheese
• Rides a Harley Davidson
• Walks on water, and drives on it every
year
My New York Moments
• LGWC
• Piseco
• GORE
• Morris
• 100 HS
• QE2
• LICF
• NYC
Grew up outside Lancaster, PA
• Diversity meant farmers, Mennonites &
Amish, mixed with those who had jobs
working for small companies or who were
self employed.
• I had no real relationship with any person
of color until college
• First-generation college
College was an awakening
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Late 1960’s, early 1970’s
Vietnam, Civil Rights, early environmental
Easy to be a big fish at a small college
Became politically involved
ACLU, Charter member of Common
Cause
• Became passionate about Social Justice
issues
Get involved
• Late 1960’s and
1970’s active in civil
rights and antiVietnam War
movements.
• Worked on campaign
for Walter Fauntroy,
the first elected
member of Congress
from Washington, DC
Work both sides of the aisle
Congressman Tom Petri, R-WI
Congressman Dave Obey, D-WI
Jim’s jobs
• 3 years as a rookie admission counselor, served
as East Coast regional rep for my alma mater
(Northland College) in Wis.
• 5 years in business in Harrisburg & Lancaster,
Pennsylvania
• 20+ years as Dean of Admissions, VP & Dean of
Student Development & Enrollment at Northland
• 6 years at UW-Superior, as Chief Admission
Officer and Coordinator of Institutional Research
Professional Opportunities
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•
•
•
Wisconsin ACAC
ACT Council
NACAC Government Relations
In 2005, elected NACAC Vice-President
for Diversity, Equity & Access
We need to change the
conversation
• Less emphasis on Rankings and who can’t
get into the Ivys
• More focus on students who are not going
to college or are struggling to succeed
once they get there
• Our future success and prosperity is
contingent upon more success among
underserved populations
Many types of Diversity
• Today I’ll present various data that show
how we’re doing in the engagement and
success of students of color.
• But I’d like us to think of our work as
working with all types of diverse
populations.
Who are You?
• Who’s here?
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–
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College-School-Community Based Org.?
Rookies-Seasoned Pros?
Public-Private?
Big City-Small Town-Rural? Upstate-Downstate?
Is your job specifically defined as having a diversity
focus?
– Are a first generation college graduate?
– College folks, do you work for your alma mater?
– Are sitting with someone you knew before arriving?
NACAC Membership
What is your role/position?
• Your role may be specific, but don’t let
your current role define you or your career.
• Help your institution to become more
diverse, in as many ways as possible
• Think of the big picture.
• Your future - don’t necessarily need to
have a grand plan, but be open to the
opportunities
Why are you here?
• What drove you to become what you are?
• What are your aspirations for the work you
do?
• Why does it matter to you?
• Why should it matter to others?
Talk Among Yourselves
• What drove you to become what you are?
• What are your aspirations for the work you
do?
• What can the rest of us do to help you get
there?
During this conference
• Know the challenges and opportunities
• Vision the possibilities
• Better know yourself, as an admission
counselor
• Be prepared to advance your institution
and your students, while preparing to
advance yourself.
• One at a time
Let’s look at the landscape
College-Going Rates 2004
source: NCHEMS 2007
College-Going Rates 2004, by State
source: NCHEMS 2007
College Graduation Rates, by Race
source: higheredinfo.org
Educational Attainment of 25-34 Year Olds in NYS
source: higheredinfo.org
Doing Well While Doing Good
• It should be enough to eliminate
achievement/attainment gaps because it’s
the right thing to do
• But sometimes it helps to present
information that compels decision-makers
through “enlightened self-interest”
HS Graduates 2002-2018
By State Percent Change
Why focus on low-income
students?
College Graduates by Age 24:
Young People From
High Income Families
48%
Young People From
Low Income Families
7%
Source: NCAN & Education Trust, 2001-Admission Possible 2008
Why focus on low-income
students?
Low-Income Students Attend
Postsecondary at Lower Rates
Achievement
Level (in quartiles)
First (Low)
Second
Third
Fourth (High)
LowIncome
36%
50%
63%
78%
HighIncome
77%
85%
90%
97%
Source: NCAN & NELS: 88, Second (1992) and Third Follow up (1994); in, USDOE, NCES, NCES Condition of Education 1997 p. 64
Who Goes Where?
Percent of Total Postsecondary School
Enrollment for Each Ethnic Group by
Institution Type 2002
70.0%
2 Year
60.0%
63.3%
58.9%
50.0%
4 Year
56.6%
59.9%
57.7%
51.0%
49.0%
40.0%
41.1%
43.4%
42.3%
40.1%
36.7%
30.0%
20.0%
10.0%
0.0%
American
Indian
Asian/Pacific
Islander
Black
Hispanic
White
TOTAL
NCES. The Condition of Education 2005
College Affordability:
Three Major Dimensions
• Tuition Levels
• High rate of tuition increases
• Greater Financial Need
• Median family income increases
• Perceptions about value of higher education
Half of HS Grads are from
Families Earning $50,000 or
Less
Tuition and Fees:
10-Year Growth Projection
$37,500
$35,000
$34,760
$32,500
$30,000
$27,500
$25,000
$20,082
$22,500
$20,000
$17,500
$15,000
$12,500
$9,364
$10,000
$7,500
$5,132
$5,000
$2,874
$2,076
$2,500
$0
94- 95- 96- 97- 98- 99- 00- 01- 02- 03- 04- 05- 06- 07- 08- 09- 10- 11- 12- 13- 1495 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15
2-yr public
4-yr public
4-yr private
College Board. Trends in Student Aid 2005, adapted by Bell
Tuition and Fees / Median
Income
120.0%
96.8%
100.0%
84.0%
80.0%
60.0%
73.1%
72.0%
57.7%
47.3%
40.0%
20.0%
0.0%
26.1%
16.9%
14.5%
21.5%
14.7%
19.3%
94- 95- 96- 97- 98- 99- 00- 01- 02- 03- 04- 05- 06- 07- 08- 09- 10- 11- 12- 13- 1495 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15
4 year Private tuition & fees as % median income Black & Hispanic
4 year Public tuition & fees as % median income Black & Hispanic
4 year Private tuition & fees as % median income White
4 year Public tuition & fees as % median income White
College Board. Trends in Student Aid 2005, adapted by Bell
Institutional Choice by Income
Level, 1999–2000
Congressional Budget Office
Economic Sense for New York
Two Programs that Work
• Yes Prep Public High School – Houston
• Admission Possible (CBO) – Minneapolis
• These are presented as examples of what
can be done. I’m sure that there are
equally worthy programs in New York
Yes Prep Public Schools-Houston
Founded in 1998, YES Prep is a free, open-enrollment
public school system that prepares low-income students
for college graduation.
YES’s comprehensive 6th-12th grade academic model
includes a longer school day and a mandatory Saturday
school and summer school program.
In addition, the YES charter mandates that students must
be accepted to a four-year college in order to receive
their high school diploma.
There are currently five YES campuses in the greater
Houston area that serve 2,000 low income students:
Yes Prep High School Students
• 80% of YES students are
economically-disadvantaged
• 95% are Hispanic or AfricanAmerican
• 88% are first-generation collegebound
• Most students enter YES one grade
level behind in math and English
Yes Prep results
• 100% of YES students in seven graduating
classes have been accepted to college
• YES graduates have been accepted to 215
schools nationwide, including: Brown, Columbia,
Cornell, Yale, Stanford, Vanderbilt, Rice,
University of Texas, and Texas A&M
• Collectively, YES students have earned over $17
million in scholarships & financial aid
• 91% of YES alumni have graduated or are still
enrolled in a four-year college
Helping make college admission possible for promising, motivated
and low-income students in Minnesota by providing S.A.T. and
A.C.T. test preparation services and admissions and financial aid
consulting.
Description of
Program
Admission Possible provides students with four critical services:
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ACT/SAT test preparation
•
Intensive assistance in preparing
college applications
•
Help in obtaining financial aid
•
Support in transitioning to
college
Description of
Program
Requirements:
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2.0 GPA, family income below median
Meet twice a week after school (160 hours/year for two years)
Provide eight hours of community service annually
Average starting ACT score in 2007-08 was 14.5 (about 10th percentile)
Junior Year
Senior Year
Orientation to College Process
ACT/SAT Test Prep
Campus Visits
Summer Enrichment Opportunities
Application Assistance
Financial Aid
Scholarship Applications
Freshman Year Transition
Description of
Program
Admission Possible Student Profile:
Of the 1200 students in the program, the average family income reported by our
students is approximately $25,000, more than 40% are from immigrant
families, and 60% are female.
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35% Hmong
21% African-American
16% African Immigrant
8% Latino/a
7% Biracial/Multiracial
7% White
5% Asian (Non-Hmong)
1% American Indian
Results
•
98% of our students have earned admission to college.
From the class of 2007, 94% of our seniors earned
admission to a 4-year college.
•
Students in our program increase their ACT scores by
about 20%! Leading for-profit companies like Kaplan, by
comparison, advertise average increases of 12-14%.
•
Nearly 80% of our students who enrolled in college are
still enrolled and working toward their college degree, or
have graduated! Nationally, only about 50% of all
students who enroll in college graduate within 6 years.
•
These results were confirmed by an independent
evaluation conducted by the Wilder Foundation.
Some Action Ideas for both
sides of the desk
Barrier: Student Contact
with Colleges
Challenges:
• Coming on campus is scary!
• Less frequent communications
• Less comfort with professional communications
Solutions:
For Colleges
Provide buses for group visits
Help them meet
underrepresented students
Lack of contact doesn’t mean
lack of interest
For High Schools
Arrange group visits
Practice communications-role-play, draft e-emails
Emphasize the importance of
contact with college staff
Barrier: College Contact
with Students
Challenges:
• College-ese
• Technology
• So. Much. Paperwork.
Solutions:
For Colleges
For High Schools
Write in clear, simple language Help students learn to interpret
Provide a checklist of all needed institutional language
materials
Provide checklist of common
Text messages better than email application steps
Source: Admission Posible 2008
Barrier: Application
Components
Challenges:
• Test scores tell you something, but not as much as you think
• Extra-curricular activities difficult to squeeze in
• Letters of special circumstance aren’t common
Solutions:
For Colleges
De-emphasize the SAT/ACT
Make the special circumstance
letter a more obvious option
Clearly indicate what counts as
“extracurricular”
For High Schools
Family obligations can be
considered “extracurricular”
Emphasize the special
circumstance letter
Interviews
Source: Admission Possible 2008
Barrier: Financial Aid
Process
Challenges:
• Verification process
• Dependency overrides
• Timing of aid packages
Solutions:
For Colleges
More transparency around the
verification process
Provide estimated packages to
help decision-making
CSS Profile fee waiver
For High Schools
Help students/families quickly
complete the FAFSA
Maintain close contact with
admissions office throughout
process
Source: Admission Possible 2008
Barrier: Deposits
Challenges:
• Transparency of May 1 as deposit date
• Difficulty of coming up with $100 or more
Solutions:
For Colleges
Be clear about opportunity for
extensions
Work out a payment plan
or grant waiver
For High Schools
Request an extension of the
deposit deadline
Inquire about deferring deposit
until financial aid comes
through
Source: Admission Possible 2008
What else can you do?
It’s Our Natural Tendency to
Classify/Categorize
• It’s part of our thought process
• It helps us to organize information
• It frequently causes us to jump to
conclusions that perpetuate stereotypes.
Possible Identity Categories That
Shape Cultural Awareness
Gender
Physical Ability
Geographical location
Family
Religion/spirituality
Activities/hobbies
Sexual Identity
Class
Ethnicity
Economic
Age
Sports
Country of origin
Interests
Occupation
Political affiliation
Beliefs
How Cultural Identity Is
Shaped
What Is Your Lens?
How Is Your Lenses
Shaped?
Experiences
Lived
Perceived
One Student at a Time
• We need to recognize cultural differences
that affect how communities and
individuals advance themselves
• While keeping this in mind, we need to
relate to each student based on his/her
needs, understandings and aspirations.
• We serve all of us by serving each of us
Can you see through the other
persons eyes?
• The best admission presentation begins with
saying very little, just like the best counseling
session.
• It’s about listening – learning about the other
person’s perspective.
• Counselors and CBO’s – don’t judge a college
by the reputation – get to know the reality.
• College folks – don’t pre-judge your students’
abilities or interests
Learn from & Teach your
Colleagues
• Learn from those on your campus, and
become a resource for those who can
learn from you
• Become professionally involved in
NYSACAC, NACAC and organizations in
your community
• Understand that you have something
important to offer
Thanks, and good luck!
Jim Miller
University of Wisconsin-Superior
715/394-8396
Jmiller@uwsuper.edu