The Financial Aid Information Divide: Strategies for Reaching Minority and LowIncome Families

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• The Financial Aid Information Divide Strategies
  for Reaching Minority and Low-Income Families
• Cate Fitzgerald
• Sr. Grant Coordinator

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The Sallie Mae Fund

• The Sallie Mae Fund, a charitable organization
  sponsored by Sallie Mae, achieves its mission by
  addressing key barriers to higher education
• Awareness of financial aid
• Financial need
• Academic performance

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Awareness of Financial Aid

• Financial Aid Awareness Surveys
• Sallie Mae Fund-commissioned surveys on the
  knowledge of financial aid sources among
  low-income and minority populations.
• 2003 - Survey of general population by Harris
  Interactive
• 2004 - Survey of Latino students and parents by
  the Tomás Rivera Policy Institute
• 2005 - Survey of 14 urban high school students
  from across the country by the Frederick D.
  Patterson Research Institute of the United Negro
  College Fund

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Awareness of Financial Aid

• Key Survey Findings
• Those who have the greatest need for information,
  low-income and minority populations, actually
  have the least access to it.
• Those who need financial aid the most, understand
  it the least.
• Knowledge about financial aid is a key predictor
  of whether a young adult is likely to attend
  college.

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1 Million State Access Campaign
New York 1 Million Access Campaign

• The Sallie Mae Fund has selected key states to
  engage in deeper college awareness campaigns and
  program support.
• National Bus Tour
• Kids to College
• Focus groups with college access experts in
  several states have revealed a particular need
  for middle school awareness programs, such as
  Kids2College, which exposes sixth graders to the
  possibility of higher education and its relevance
  to their future.
• Partnership with cIcu

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On the Road The Paying for College Tour
Awareness of Financial Aid

• Nationwide bus tour that brings planning and
  paying for college information to communities
• Mobile financial aid resource center equipped
  with computers, resource centers and financial
  aid counselors
• Ninety-minute workshops are conducted for
  families in English and Spanish
• Local financial aid experts answer questions and
  discuss state aid
• 250 to 1,000 scholarships awarded during
  workshops
• Since 2004, the bus tour has conducted workshops
  in 32 states across the country, reaching more
  than 65,000 people and awarding nearly 225,000
  in scholarships.

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Awareness of Financial Aid
SMF Bus Tour Visits New York

• Attended the New York State Fair on Higher
  Education Day, reaching 800 students, parents and
  college financial aid administrators.
• Fall 2006 stops were made in Elmont, Hempstead,
  Wyandanch, and New York City.
• Held a call-in program at the Univision studios
  in Teaneck, NJ. Viewers in NY, NJ and CT could
  call in and ask questions about the financial aid
  process in Spanish.

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On the Road The Paying for College Bus
Tour September 2006 April 2007
Fall 2006 19-city tour starting on September 12
in Chicago, IL and ending on November 10 in New
Orleans, LA
HARTFORD
NASSAU COUNTY
CLEVELAND
NEW YORK CITY
CHICAGO
PHILADELPHIA
SANTA ROSA
HAZLETON
SACRAMENTO
CAMDEN
SAN FRANCISCO
SILVER SPRING
RENO
BALTIMORE
SAN JOSE
NORTHERN, VA
WASHINGTON, DC
MODESTO
INDIANAPOLIS
MERCED
FRESNO
BAKERSFIELD
PUEBLO
SANTA MARIA
SANTA BARBARA
VENTURA/OXNARD
SANTA FE
INLAND EMPIRE
LOS ANGELES
PHOENIX
ALBUQUERQUE
ANAHEIM
SAN DIEGO
LUBBOCK
YUMA
TUCSON
LAS CRUCES
DALLAS
EL PASO
TYLER
TALLAHASSEE
BILOXI
Spring 2007 35-city tour starting on January in
San Francisco, CA and ending on April 10 in
Houston, TX
HOUSTON
AUSTIN
ORLANDO
NEW ORLEANS
SAN ANTONIO
TAMPA
CORPUS CHRISTI
LAREDO
WILLACY COUNTY
MCALLEN
BROWNSVILLE
PHARR
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African-American Initiative
Awareness of Financial Aid
A multi-part campaign to help improve higher
education access among African-American students

• Paying for College workshop campaign in 19 cities
  nationwide
• An Interactive Guide to Planning and Paying for
  College CD
• Writers of Passage and American Dream Scholarship
  Programs

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Kids to College
Academic Performance

• Expose under-served children to a college-going
  culture before they get off the college track.
• Six-week early college awareness program focused
  on 6th grade students.
• The program culminates in the late spring with a
  visit to the partner college for both students
  and their parents/guardians.

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Partner Universities
Academic Performance

• Massachusetts Partners with over 50 public and
  private colleges, including Boston University,
  Boston College, Harvard, University, Northeastern
  University and Tufts University
• Washington, DC American University, George Mason
  University, Georgetown University, Howard
  University, Marymount University, Southeastern
  University, Trinity University, University of
  Maryland
• Florida Miami Dade College
• California CSU, Fullerton CSU, Los Angeles
• North Carolina Queens University of Charlotte,
  Johnson Wales University, UNC Charlotte
• Connecticut Wesleyan University

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Academic Performance
Kids to College in New York

• Pilot the K2C program in NYC and Upstate
• Sallie Mae Fund will hire a K2C coordinator
  position

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Awareness of Financial Aid
Sallie Mae Fund Partnership At Work in New York

• Paying for College workshops with cIcu
• Conducted two Paying for College in Old Westbury
  and Syracuse, NY, reaching over 300 parents and
  students.
• cIcu publications

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Free Educational Resources
Awareness of Financial Aid

• Planning and paying for college guides in English
  and Spanish
• DVD VHS on planning and paying for college
  (English w/Spanish subtitles available)
• Top 10 Tips for College Admission Financial Aid
  Card (Available in 11 different languages)
• Design Your Own Workshop Toolkit A
  do-it-yourself Paying for College workshop
  presentation and guide

Resources available at www.salliemaefund.org
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Financial Need
Meeting Financial Needs through Scholarships
Since 2001, The Sallie Mae Fund has awarded
close to 10 million in scholarships to assist
4,000 students enroll in college through the
following programs

• American Dream Scholarship Program in partnership
  with the United Negro College Fund Scholarships
  range from 500 to 5,000
• First in My Family Scholarship Program in
  partnership with the Hispanic College Fund
  Scholarships range from 500 to 5,000
• The Sallie Mae Fund Unmet Need Scholarship
  Program Scholarships range from 1,000 to
  3,800
• The Sallie Mae 911 Education Fund Scholarships
  are 2,500, renewable each year

• Paying for College Scholarships Scholarships
  range from 250 to 1,000
• Sallie Mae Family Scholarship Program
  Scholarships are 2,000, renewable each year
• Imagine America II Scholarship Program - 1,000
  renewal scholarship
• Community College Transfer Scholarship Program in
  partnership with the Hispanic Scholarship Fund
  Scholarships are 2,500
• Writers of Passage Grant Program in partnership
  with the National Association for Equal
  Opportunity In Higher Education

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Giving Back

• Giving Back
• Grants From 2001-2005, The Sallie Mae Fund has
  given over 62.4 million in grants to non-profit
  organizations.
• Matching Gifts and Dollars for Doers Sallie Mae
  employees donated 10.4 million resulting in over
  12.3 million in matching grants to non-profit
  organizations.
• Scholarships Since 2001, more than 4,000
  students have received 10 million in
  scholarships.
• Paying for College Workshops Since 2001, The
  Sallie Mae Fund has conducted more than 800
  Paying for College workshops.

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Contacts

• For more information about The Sallie Mae Fund or
  for
• FREE planning and paying for college resources,
  visit www.salliemaefund.org
• For more information about
• Paying for College Program Kasey Coleman,
  703-984-5711
• National Latino Bus Tour Mari Canizales,
  703-984-5222
• Community Relations/Employee Volunteerism Laura
  Gemery, 703-984-5271

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cIcus Outreach Strategies Reaching
Non-Traditional Students and Families

• NYSFAAA Annual Conference
• Fall 2006

Elizabeth Torgerson-Lemark
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New Yorks Independent Sector100 Private
Colleges Universities
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New York Independent Sector Largest in the
Country
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cIcu Outreach Initiatives

• 25 years
• Why?
• What?

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cIcu Outreach Initiatives

• Leveraging resources
• Strategic partnerships

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cIcu Outreach Initiatives

• Current activities
• Spreading the word
• Paying for College Workshops