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June 30, 2012

21st Century Scholars facility in Valley to close

Sue Loughlin The Tribune-Star

TERRE HAUTE — A 21st Century Scholars regional support site that serves about 3,700 Wabash Valley students in grades seven through 12 is closing.

The Wabash Valley Regional Support Site located at Indiana State University will close effective Aug. 31. Four employees will lose their jobs.

The state is closing all 14 regional sites — typically operated at universities through a grant — because of the loss of federal funding, said Mary Jane Michalak, executive director of the State Student Assistance Commission of Indiana.

“It will be a hit to the local community,”  said Richard Toomey, ISU’s associate vice president for enrollment management. “The local office won’t be there to coordinate local activities (for those in grades 7-12)”

The Wabash Valley Regional Support Site has served Vigo, Parke, Putnam, Vermillion, Sullivan and Clay counties.

More than 1,000 ISU students are 21st Century Scholars. ISU will continue to provide support to those students through its Student Academic Services Center, Toomey said.

The 14 current regional outreach sites will be consolidated into eight sites that will be operated by the state, Michalak said. Some of the sites are closing today, while others are staying open until Aug. 31.

Vigo County will be part of the new “West Region” that also includes Benton, Warren, Tippecanoe, Montgomery, Parke, Putnam, Hendricks, Morgan, Clay and Sullivan counties. The office will be in Lafayette.

The state is in the process of hiring the eight new 21st Century Scholars outreach coordinators, who will have offices at Ivy Tech campuses, Michalak said.

The revamped program also will benefit from 10 support staff partially funded through the federal Americorps program.

Up to now, many of the regional support sites have been located on university campuses, which operate the outreach programs under contract with the state. Employees at those sites have been university employees; under the changes, the outreach coordinators will be state employees.

The state has funded the regional support sites through grants, using about $3 million each year in federal GEARUP funds. The state re-applied for the competitive funding but did not receive the grant, Michalak said. ISU received $184,000 in 2011-12 to operate the regional support site.

The 14 regional sites have provided outreach and enrollment services, coordinated college readiness programs and arranged campus tours. “It’s an outreach arm to help support 21st Century Scholars before they go to college,” she said.

But many organizations at the local level already are providing college readiness programs. Under the changes, the outreach offices will no longer provide those services, but instead, coordinate with local organizations that do, she said.

“We’ve decided — wouldn’t it be better for us to coordinate efforts already going on in those areas and make sure we are working in conjunction with already existing programs?” she said.

About 110,000 students  in grades seven through 12 are enrolled in the 21st Century Scholars program, and about 14,000 Indiana college students are benefiting.

The state also wants to boost success rates. Only about 13 percent of 21st Century Scholars graduate from college on time, and only about 31 percent of the program’s students graduate within six years.

Michalak doesn’t believe the changes will adversely impact the students in grades seven through 12. “We think the new model will provide the same level of service to students because we will work more closely with local organizations,” she said. The changes “will allow us to have a consistent model statewide.”

But ISU does have concerns about the level of services that will be provided. Toomey said that ISU hopes to continue some of those outreach efforts to help students prepare for college.

Many of these students will be first-generation college students, and some might be considered at-risk students, he said. ISU will reach out to middle and high schools in the fall.

“These are local students who need all the support they can get,” he said. ISU will try to help fill that void.

Sue Loughlin can be reached at (812) 231-4235 or sue.loughlin@tribstar.com.

 

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