KPS|3 NEWS RELEASE:
The “Go To College” campaign was launched today and is designed to increase awareness throughout Nevada about the resources available to help students of all ages – from elementary to high school students – continue on to higher education upon graduation, including financial assistance options.
The new website, www.GoToCollegeNevada.org, will serve as the hub for information about available resources that students can use to help them plan, prepare and pay for college, including information regarding federal government money available for higher education through grants or loans. The website will also include information regarding Nevada colleges and universities and their many other scholarships, grants, work study opportunities and loans which may be available to students if they complete the necessary paperwork.
“Nevada has ranked 49th or 50th for many years for percentage of low-income students participating in college.”
The website will also assist parents, with children as young as elementary school age, begin to appropriately plan for their children to attend college with methods like a savings plan.
The website also asks students to take a “pledge” to go to college by making a commitment to following the best practices to get to college. Students who take the pledge, and encourage their friends to take the pledge, will be eligible for one of two laptop computers.
“Nevada has ranked 49th or 50th for many years for percentage of low-income students participating in college,” said Natalie Mazzullo, community education specialist with the Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE). “We want to help encourage students to consider college and give them the information and resources they need to show them it is possible to continue their education. ”
The Go To College campaign was created with a grant from the federal College Access Challenge Grant Program (CACG) and is under the direction of the Nevada P-16 Advisory Council. NSHE serves as the fiscal agent for the grant. This effort is designed to foster partnerships among federal, state and local government and philanthropic entities to significantly increase the number of underrepresented students in postsecondary education.
The Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) is also involved in the campaign as they administer Nevada’s CACG grant on behalf of the P-16 Council and provide project planning, technical assistance and program evaluation.
