End Community College Stigmatization Project Part 1
Brenda Geib-Swanson
Ball State University
EDCC 640
Dr. Amanda Latz
November 3, 2020
Community colleges may often be viewed as a second-best option when considering higher educational choices by high school guidance offices, parents, and high school students. These perceptions are often grounded in misinformation and stereotypes that may steer students away from considering the many benefits that community colleges have to offer. In numerous instances, these stereotypes have led to a stigmatization surrounding community college attendance. For this assignment I propose a two-prong approach to bridge the gap between high school seniors and community college enrollment. I have chosen to use Ivy Tech Community College as the template for this proposal because it is the largest community college in the state of Indiana and has a lot to offer the students in terms of programs and support.
My proposal in this project is two-fold:
• The first step will be to educate school guidance office staff on the benefits of community college attendance for all students not just marginalized or low GPA students.
• The second step will be to create a student liaison in each high school to aid in promoting and educating the high school Junior and Senior population about the benefits and roles of community college attendance.
High School Guidance Office Staff
High School student counselors are often the gatekeepers of college information to students and may base their recommendations upon their own personal perceptions of student needs and community college roles. These school counselors are often overworked with high student demand caseloads for their time. They need support in partnerships with community colleges to better educate their high school population. According to research, the average high school counselor caseload is 471 students with the central professional responsibility being advising students on the transfer from high school to higher education (Woods & Domina, 2014). The American School Counselor Association (ASCA) recommends that the case load for high school student counselors should be 250 students (Woods & Domina, 2014). This indicates that most high school guidance counselors are significantly overloaded and understaffed resulting in some students not receiving the information they need to make informed higher educational decisions. Marginalized students such as first generational or low SES students may not receive the information and support they need to successfully transition to higher education. These marginalized students are the ones who need the most help. According to Woods & Domina (2014) the research indicates that tenth graders indicate a high rate of college attendance expectancy however as the students’ progress through high school large numbers of counselor caseloads negatively impact student preparedness and college enrollment. My proposal is that Ivy Tech conduct bi-yearly webinars with local high school counselors to inform them about all that Ivy Tech has to offer the student population. These webinars should occur at the end of September and January. This will enable students to have the information and support they need to make informed decisions whether they are wanting to begin thinking about the process during their junior or senior years. This webinar will be interactional with speakers from Ivy Tech sharing information and answering questions. Additionally, the guidance counselors will be given a toolkit of course options and contact information concerning a sampling of what Ivy Tech can offer future students.
High School Student Liaison
The high level of student caseloads placed upon high school guidance counselors indicates that they would benefit from support. Concerning the higher educational decisions of high school students, a study conducted by Andrew Sokatch (2006) on the impact of peer influences toward higher education, indicated that “friend’s plans are the single most important factor in low SES, urban, minority high school graduates’ decision of whether or not to enroll at least half-time in a 4-year college or university” (p142). This is important information for community colleges wishing to increase enrollment of high school seniors. Traditional recruitment strategies include bulk mailings, college fairs and relying on the high school guidance counselor. According to Sokatch, (2014) colleges wishing to recruit increased numbers of low SES and minority urban students should examine peer-based recruitment strategies instead of focusing on the traditional one-on-one recruitment strategies.
My proposal is to create student liaisons within each high school to do some of the heavy lifting in partnership with the high school and Ivy Tech. This program will consist of a scholarship essay contest conducted during the fall of the Junior year at each school. Ivy Tech will offer a one-time $500 scholarship to the winner to be used to attend classes at Ivy Tech. The scholarship participants will be judged based upon an essay concerning the benefits of an Ivy Tech education and their proposed leadership plan to help convey this information to the students. The scholarship winner will spend their Senior year acting as the liaison partnering with the guidance office staff and Ivy Tech. In addition to the scholarship, the liaison position offers students the ability to build their academic resume for future educational aspirations. Some possible duties of the student liaison may include:
• Attending College Fairs at their school
• Speaking in classrooms. For example, they may speak about the low-cost advantages of an Ivy Tech education in the Personal Finance class.
• Promoting Ivy Tech on a school bulletin board.
• Speaking to the Honors Club about the Transfer possibilities and Honors Program at Ivy Tech.
• Sharing Ivy Tech student success stories.
• Conducting one-on-one meetings with students in partnership with the guidance office.
• Helping prospective students navigate the enrollment process and encourage their progress.
• Provide the correct contact information to prospective students concerning campus visits, admission counselors, and financial aid information.
These are just a few of the possibilities available to the student liaison. I believe that given the opportunity, many students would be excited about the leadership-building opportunity of serving in this role. The cost to Ivy Tech would be minimal and the benefit could be impactful in both future enrollment and high school partnerships. The goal is to reduce the stigmatization surrounding community college but also to help inform low-income and first-generational students to demystify the college enrollment process.
Included in the Project:
Guidance Counselor
• Webinar schedule and video introduction
• Toolkit of Ivy Tech contact information, student success stories, student liaison scholarship information, and program information
Student Liaison
• Scholarship information
• Student toolkit and resource guide
• Welcome video and student success stories
• Blueprint of roles and responsibilities
References
Sokatch, A. (2006). on the college-going decisions of low socioeconomic status urban youth. The New Teacher Project, 39(1), 128–146.
Woods, C. S., & Domina, T. (2014). The school counselor caseload and the high school-to-college pipeline. Teachers College Record, 116, 1–30.
