Nine Rural Schools Awarded $13,110 to Bring Colleges to Students

NASHVILLE, Sept. 23, 2013 —The Tennessee College Access and Success Network awarded a total of $13,110 today to nine rural school districts to host College Summits. A College Summit offers students the opportunity to learn about multiple colleges by rotating through stations at which college recruiters provide presentations about admissions, scholarships, housing, and college life.

Greene County School District, Springfield High School, and Wayne County Schools were awarded funds to host two Summits in their areas, one for Juniors and one for Seniors. Fentress County School District, Hardeman County Schools, Lexington High School, McNairy County Board of Education, Morgan County Schools, and Union County High Schools all received awards to host one Summit.

"Rural students, due to their geographic locations, are often not aware of all of their college options,” said Bob Obrohta, executive director of the Tennessee College Access and Success Network. “In order to reach the Governor’s Drive to 55 goal, we must increase the number of rural students completing degrees and certifications. These Summits will inform students of the many options available to them, and help them find the higher education path that is the best fit.”

College Summits also provide students with individualized attention from recruiters, and the smaller, often less-intimidating setting allows students to ask questions. Slide shows and videos also help students visualize themselves at a school. From the college’s perspective, Summits provide the opportunity for recruiters to provide more in-depth information about their schools to a large number of potential students.  

The winning 12 Summits will serve 3,592 students across the state, bringing the total number of students and family members served through Network grants to 64,092.

For brief descriptions of each project or to learn more about the Network, visit tncollegeaccess.org

For more information, please contact Wendy Tabor, wtabor@tncollegeaccess.org, 615-983-6909.