CIP Community Engagement
Partner Institution: Ouachita Baptist University
Activity: College Is Possible Community Outreach Program
Ouachita Baptist University
designed a program to reach students and parents of 18 school districts
in Southwest Arkansas. This effort was achieved with the support of
Ouachita’s president, faculty, and staff in collaboration with the
superintendents and counselors of the participating schools. Ouachita
provided the university bus and vans to transport students to five
colleges in southwest Arkansas and three in Little Rock to achieve its
goals of "taking college to the people" and "taking people to the
college."
The first session of the
program took place on campus and highlighted the importance of parental
support in the pursuit of higher education. Parents had an opportunity
to participate in an interactive discussion on the top 10 things you can
get with a college education, and the top 10 things you can
get without a college education. Following this session, the
College Is Possible concept was taken to three of the larger communities
of southwest Arkansas.
In each community,
presentations emphasized getting ready to go to college and provided
pertinent information in the following areas: (1) preparation (high
school requirements and Arkansas Academic Challenge); (2) choosing
(online resources about college); (3) funding (FAFSA and online
scholarship information); and (4) attending college (current college
students talked about their transition from high school to college). One
community session, designed to provide test-taking strategies and study
skill strategies for high school students, challenged students to "be
your best when you take a test."
At the conclusion of the
program, Ouachita's president hosted a recognition banquet to honor the
students, parents, faculty, staff, superintendents, and counselors who
participated in the program.
For Additional Information:
Please contact Ouachita
Baptist University's College Is Possible liaison, Lewis Shepherd Jr., at
shepherd1@obu.edu.
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