As we work to support and advance the work of college admission counseling professionals as they help students transition from secondary schools to higher education, we welcome the opportunity to work in partnership with other organizations who share a similar mission. Together we are best able to build awareness about the availability of programs designed to ensure access and equity for all students.
Current Partnerships
NACAC appreciates the support of the following organizations. We applaud their shared vision and continued commitment and dedication to serving our students as they look to realize their full educational potential.
AXA Foundation
The Center for Enrollment Leadership (CEL)
Center for Student Opportunity
Extraordinary Women Engineers
Lumina Foundation for Education
Pathways to College Network
TERI
The AXA Foundation, the philanthropic arm of AXA Equitable, renewed its support for NACAC with a grant of $120,000. The grant supported NACAC’s National College Fairs and the 63rd National Conference in Austin, TX in September, 2007.
NACAC and the AXA Foundation share the goal of helping students fulfill their dreams of a college education. The Foundation’s signature program is AXA Achievementsm, which provides resources that help make college possible: access and advice. Through AXA Achievementsm, AXA Equitable is one of the nation’s largest corporate providers of scholarships and a comprehensive resource for information to help students and parents plan for college. Over $1.3 million in AXA Achievementsm scholarships is given out each year, with more than 300 students nationwide receiving awards.
AXA is a National Supporter of NACAC’s College Fairs, helping make this important initiative more effective and accessible for students and parents.
For more information about The AXA Foundation contact:
Pamela Gee
Assistant Vice President, AXA Foundation
1290 Avenue of Americas, NY, NY 10104
212/314-4593
Fax: 212/314-4480
http://www.axa-achievement.com/
The Center for Enrollment Leadership is a pioneer in creating training, education and research solutions for higher education.
From their online professional development program, Admissions Counselor Basic Training (ACBT)® for enrollment management professionals, to their student research solutions, CEL is at the forefront in guiding colleges and universities in their quest to build services for college students of tomorrow.
CEL has partnered with NACAC in offering its dynamic online coursework for admission professionals. Admissions Counselor Basic Training, the new standard for recruitment team training, significantly accelerates the learning curve for anyone that plays a role in recruiting prospective students: admissions counselors, student ambassadors, coaches, faculty and even alumni. ACBT can also be tailored by individual admissions offices to help target their specific needs.
Industry trends and regulations change on a regular basis. The industry leading curriculum receives regular updates to keep pace with the latest regulations and management trends so you no longer have to worry about keeping your in-house training program up to date. ACBT is offered as a subscription service to ensure the training program is always available and always current.
Take advantage of your NACAC membership, all NACAC members will receive discounts on their ACBT subscriptions.
For information about subscribing to ACBT or to receive additional information on the program, please visit www.enrollmentleadership.com or call 866/747-6274.
Center for Student Opportunity
The National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) has joined with Center for Student Opportunity (CSO) to match professional college counselors with underrepresented students to support exploration of educational options after high school.
Center for Student Opportunity is a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting higher education opportunities for first-generation and other historically underserved college-bound students. CSO programs serve colleges and universities, counselors, and community-based organizations in support of their college access goals. More information about CSO is available at www.csopportunity.org.
In serving parallel missions, NACAC and CSO will work together to develop the comprehensive Counseling Outreach Initiative, a volunteer program for professional college counselors to facilitate pro bono outreach partnerships with under-resourced schools and community-based organizations in their area. The partnership will support NACAC's commitment to access and equity and provides members with the opportunity to volunteer their expertise while also fulfilling their volunteer aspirations. As partners, NACAC will further support CSO's efforts to:
- Build awareness of available college programs and opportunities for first-generation and underserved students
- Increase and improve college guidance services that match students with colleges and universities where they will succeed
- Strengthen the host of college and community programs supporting college access and retention.
Under the Counseling Outreach Initiative, NACAC and CSO will work with individuals to research, identify, and place volunteers with a partnership site in their area, supply a volunteer curriculum, worksheets, and activities to guide the counseling work, and provide additional resources and support to volunteers.
The Counseling Outreach Initiative will formally launch in 2008 and begin actively placing volunteers at that time.
Extraordinary Women Engineers
The Extraordinary Women Engineers Project- of which NACAC is a coalition member- is the creator of the Engineer Your Life campaign. EYL seeks to encourage and inspire college-bound high school girls to integrate engineering into their future studies and into their careers. Based on in-depth research and message testing, the campaign aims to meet girls where they live, promoting engineering through the lens of what matters to girls as they begin to shape their own futures. A key component of the campaign is to achieve a shift in the way engineering is portrayed by engineering and educational communities.
The centerpiece of this campaign is the engineeryourlife.org Web site (available as of September 2007), which features information for high school girls, as well as practical resources to help school counselors, parents and educators promote a better understanding of engineering, of the academic background needed to pursue engineering, and of the various career paths available. The campaign is also driven by a robust outreach and communication strategy that includes live and online training for school counselors and engineers, and a wealth of print and electronic materials available for distribution.
Through the Extraordinary Women Engineers Project coalition, NACAC joins forces with WGBH Educational Foundation, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), the Association of Engineering Societies (AAES), the National Academy of Engineering (NAE), the National Engineers Week Foundation (Eweek), and more than 50 additional engineering associations, colleges and universities.
For more information about Extraordinary Women Engineers, contact:
Thea Sahr
Associate Director, Educational Outreach
WGBH Educational Foundation
One Guest Street
Boston, MA 02135
617/300-3770
National Association for College Admission Counseling has joined with Lumina Foundation for Education in its effort to address and foster solutions to the rising costs of college. Led by Lumina Foundation for Education -- an Indianapolis-based, private, independent foundation with a mission to help people achieve their potential by expanding access and success in education beyond high school – the initiative will be driven by decision-makers in higher education, representatives of secondary schools, the private sector, federal and state governments, families and students – all of whom will work together to share insight and practical experience in making college more affordable, accessible and achievable.
Recognizing that there is no single cause or solution to the problem of escalating college costs – as outlined in Lumina’s policy brief, Collision Course: Rising College Costs Threaten America’s Future and Require Shared Solutions – the initiative was launched to generate discussion regarding multiple approaches to the problem based on solid evidence of effectiveness. The full paper is available online at www.luminafoundation.org.
A highlight of the initiative's first-year, a summit to be held in Washington, DC, will serve as a forum to discuss potential solutions offered to the Foundation following the publication of its policy brief. Following the summit, Lumina Foundation will continue to work with its partners to address these solutions in order to promote long-term, sustainable practices to ensure that more students, particularly those from low-income and middle-income households, are able to afford a college education. As part of the initiative, Lumina Foundation has also developed a new Web site devoted to the issue of college affordability at www.collegecosts.info.
Pathways to College Network
Launched in 2001, the Pathways to College Network is an alliance of national organizations and funders committed to advancing college access and success for underserved students, including those who are the first generation in their families to go to college, low-income students, underrepresented minorities, and students with disabilities. The Pathways Network connects policymakers, practitioners, and community leaders with research on effective strategies for improving college preparation, access, financial aid, and success. TERI (The Education Resources Institute) manages the Network's activities.
The Pathways to College Network’s signature report, A Shared Agenda: A Leadership Challenge to Improve College Access and Success, summarizes research-based policies and practices for improving college access drawn from over 650 studies. NACAC provides leadership for the Network's Policy focus area and uses the Pathways’ research to develop and refine our legislative agenda. For more information, visit http://www.pathwaystocollege.net.
TERI
TERI is a Boston-based nonprofit organization focused on promoting access to education for people of all ages and backgrounds. TERI provides national leadership in helping low-income individuals and those who are first generation college students achieve their college dreams. In addition to managing the Pathways to College Network, of which NACAC is a partner, TERI supports research projects and national initiatives that address issues related to improving college access and affordability, and assists communities with establishing college information centers. TERI also provides college access services for young people and adults in Boston and other Massachusetts communities, including college advising centers at public libraries, a statewide telephone information hotline, and TRIO, GEAR UP, and other college outreach programs. TERI is also one of the most experienced and largest nonprofit guarantors of private loans for education. Find out more about TERI at www.teri.org.
NACAC and TERI are working collaboratively to develop college planning guides for parents of middle school and high school students. The middle school guide provides a general overview of preparation for college as well as financial aid information and curriculum recommendations. The high school guide focuses on the admissions process, standardized testing, and conducting the college search. The guides are distributed nationally through middle schools, high schools, community organizations, and National College Fairs, as well as online.