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The Consortium of Universities commitment to K-16 is
greatly demonstrated through its Greater
Washington College Info Center and the Greater Washington
Higher Education Information Partnership. Through these inter-institutional
initiatives, the Consortium collaborates with its member institutions
to provide resources, information, training, and other services to the
K-16 education community.
Programs offered to students enrolled in middle and high schools in the
Washington Metro area include the Kids2College
Program and the Talent
Search Program.
The Consortium also sponsors a number of activities and programs during
National College Week, National Job Shadowing Day, and the District of
Columbia's Higher Education Month in November. Consortium members have
also served on various panels with the DC Public Schools — most recently,
The Principals Evaluation Task Force; The DCPS Transformation of High
Schools Blue Ribbon Panel; and The Youth Investment Council.
In 1995, the Consortium of Universities and the College Board's Educational
Opportunity Center formed a partnership whose purpose is to improve access
to information about higher education opportunities for residents of the
Greater Washington Metropolitan Area. Through cooperation and sharing
of information resources, we can help open the door to all who might benefit
from a higher education.
The compelling number of students in our geographical area who do not
go on to college after graduating and the high rate of school dropouts
present a dire need for increased awareness and access to higher education
information resources early in the school years. At the same time, corporate
and government restructuring have heightened the need for higher education
information services in the adult community.
At present, there are more than fifty organizations in the Washington
area that provide information and services related to higher education
opportunities, including colleges and universities as well as libraries
in six jurisdictions. There are also many informal, voluntary organizations,
such as churches or community organizations that provide higher education
information services at some level.
To strengthen and expand higher education information resources in the
region, the following courses of action have been taken by the Higher
Education Information Partnership:
1. Establishing the Greater Washington College Info Center, which brings
together programs designed to spark student interest in postsecondary
education and help parents plan for both academic support and financing
for college education. Emphasis is placed on providing quality services
to low-income, minority, and immigrant youth;
2. Conducting Partnership meetings to discuss important issues related
to access to higher education information and to share invaluable information
resources;
3. Providing support to teachers, librarians, counselors, mentors, volunteers,
and others who are providing higher education information services;
4. Expanding the Kids-to-College approach, pioneered by Sallie Mae, to
motivate students at an early age to begin to think about college as a
possibility;
5. Sponsoring and supporting educational forums on issues related to access
to higher education in the Washington Metropolitan Area;
6. Creating higher education information specialists with expertise in
early college awareness and adult education; and
7. Creating training and support programs for the professionals and volunteers
who are responsible for counseling, mentoring, and information services.
New initiatives are centered around:
1. Establishing a network of Higher Education Community Resource Centers
in every local community in the greater Washington area;
2. Developing an on-line searchable directory of higher education information
resources in the Washington area; and
3. Working with the media and business communities to launch a public
information campaign which can be followed up with services provided through
network of resource centers.
*as of 05/04
Alexandria Library
American University
Arlington County Department of Libraries
The Catholic University of America
The College Board Washington Office
Consortium of Universities of the Washington Metropolitan Area
DC Community Prevention Partnership, Inc.
DC Tuition Assistance Grant Program
DC Voice
District of Columbia Occupational Information Coordinating Committee
District of Columbia Mayor's Office
District of Columbia Office of Postsecondary Education, Research & Assistance
District of Columbia Public Library
District of Columbia Public Schools Educational Opportunity Center
East of the River Technology Collaborative (ERTECH)
Excellence By Choice
Fairfax County Public Library
Gallaudet University
George Mason University
The George Washington University
Georgetown University
Higher Aspirations Academy, Inc.
Howard University
Joint Military Intelligence College
Latin American Youth Center
Marymount University
Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments
National Defense University
Northern Virginia Community College
Sallie Mae
Southeastern University
Trinity University
United States Department of Education
University of the District of Columbia
University of Maryland College Park
For more information about the Partnerships,
please contact:
Vera Redfearn Faulkner, Director of Programs
Email: faulkner@consortium.org
or
Thomas Bullock, Director, Educational Community Involvement Program
Georgetown University
Leavey Center, 5th Floor
Washington, D.C. 20057
Phone: 202-687-4443
Fax: 202-687-7731
Email: bullockt@georgetown.edu
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