Students in Adams County are enrolling in postsecondary opportunities at a rate less than their peers across the state. Particularly, students of color who are enrolling behind their white peers.
“For many students of color a major barrier is their lack of connectedness with university and colleges,” said Dr. Will Mellion of Metro State University’s Student Success Program. “Additionally, they lack guided pathways, financial and basic resources, and access to university and community programs and services. These barriers fuel what we refer to as the postsecondary attainment gap.”
“Although we had the capacity for 18-20 students to participate in our pilot, we were only able to get 5 students engaged,” said Schager. “Connecting with students who qualified for the pilot program proved to be the biggest challenge.”
- Metro State developed a Student Success Program Readiness Prep Workshop that will also include an on-campus employment fair to help match students with employment opportunities that help provide connectedness to the university. Forty students have already registered for the session.
- The team will start recruiting for the program earlier in the school year.
- High School Partners will be engaged as members of the Adams County Works team to ensure coordination and synergy.