The initiative is aimed in part at streamlining admissions and financial aid procedures. It centers on buttressing existing partnerships between universities and K-14 institutions that serve less affluent and needy communities.
HSU has a full roster of ongoing partnerships with K-14 schools in the Redwood Coast region. It is a member of the 23-campus California State University System, identified by the U.S. Department of Education as one of the best national models for K-14/higher education teams that open the classroom to underserved youngsters.
Dr. Richmond called the new CollegeKeys Compact “vital for the future of California and our nation, since HSU prepares many of the people needed for the workforces of teaching, nursing, engineering, information technology, biotechnology and many others. It is also an ethical imperative for us. No one should be disadvantaged as a consequence of their ethnic origins or the economic status of their parents. HSU will work to meet the needs of students from low-income families by providing excellent educational opportunities, social and emotional support and financial aid.”
CollegeKeys is the brainchild of the College Board, the not-for-profit membership association founded in 1900 that comprises more than 5,400 schools, colleges, universities and other institutions of learning. It serves seven million students and their parents through major programs and services in college admissions, guidance, enrollment and financial aid. Among its best known undertakings are the SAT and the Advanced Placement Program.
CollegeKeys stems from a College Board Task Force, which found that nearly one-half of all college-qualified low- and moderate-income high school graduates do not enroll in four-year institutions. The low rate is attributed to poor preparation, low expectations and financial barriers.
The task force determined that the degree gap between high-achieving students of low income and high income backgrounds has reached nearly 20%. Yet nine of the 10 fastest growing jobs in the United States require post-secondary education or training.