HAMPTON – The Iowa College Student Aid Commission (Iowa College Aid) recently announced the award of a $7,562 planning grant to support efforts to increase the college attainment rate in Hampton as part of the “College Changes Everything” initiative. The College Changes Everything initiative aims to help communities like Hampton build a civic infrastructure that supports a comprehensive collective impact approach to the pathway to college, rather than multiple unconnected programs.
“Iowa College Aid is excited to add Hampton to our network of communities around Iowa working to increase college attainment. Working together to leverage Hampton’s strengths will be the best way to make progress that can be sustained,” – Rachel Scott, Division Administrator at Iowa College Aid.
Hampton was awarded the grant, based on demonstrated need and commitment of community leaders, as well as a well-rounded support system that is excited about working toward a better future. At 26.3%, the adult population 25 and older, in Franklin County, with an associate’s degree or higher, is significantly lower than the average of the rest of the state, which is 37%. By 2020, it is estimated that close to 70% of all jobs in Iowa will require educational degrees or credentials beyond high school.
The grant will be used to conduct strategic planning aimed at organizing and initiating a community-based local college access network (LCAN) dedicated to increasing college attainment among Hampton-Dumont students. The Hampton LCAN is named Mission Possible: Increasing Career Opportunities through Education. Development of this LCAN has been based on a collective impact model which has included the following organizations in the initiative; North Iowa Area Community College (also serving as the fiscal agent of the grant), Hampton-Dumont Community Schools, City of Hampton (Mayor Brook Boehmler), La Luz Hispana, Community Foundation of Franklin County, The Greater Franklin County Chamber of Commerce, Al Éxito, Franklin General Hospital, MID:WEST METER, ISU Extension, ¡Adelante!, and Iowa College Access Network.
“Increasing college attainment will strengthen our local economy,” said Hampton mayor Brook Boehmler. “By building upon the existing initiatives and resources currently available in Hampton and Franklin County, we will be able to access the strengths of each participating organization. We want our community to thrive economically and we want to improve the percentage of students who graduate and attend college and also get certified in career programs offered by our community colleges. Not only does the additional education and training provide more opportunity for people to live and work in rural Iowa, it increases earning power.”
The planning grant will allow the committee to collect and analyze data on local high school graduation rates, pursuit of higher education and post-secondary educational attainment and retention. The Project Coordinator and committee will focus on completing a landscape scan and asset map of current programs and identify gaps or barriers to accessing college or vocational programs. Once the data is collected and analyzed, work can begin towards implementation of a common agenda and sustainability, which will include working toward applying for a $60,000 implementation grant opportunity.
Valeria Gonzalez, NIACC Enrollment Advisor & Success Coach for Diverse Populations, sees the planning grant as “the next step for our community in developing collective impact and raising awareness and knowledge of the pathway to college. This goal aligns perfectly with NIACC’s mission to enhance the quality of life for the people of North Iowa through comprehensive educational opportunities, progressive partnerships, exemplary service, and responsive leadership.”
The committee has hired Project Coordinator and Hampton native, Kolette Kapp, to begin the planning process. She will be working closely with the Project Coordinator Supervisor, Valeria Gonzalez, and the committee. Kapp says, “I am very excited to be working within our community to strengthen ties and build a college-going atmosphere.”
Iowa College Aid’s College Changes Everything initiative has adopted Goal 2025, a goal set by the Lumina foundation, which aims to increase the number of students receiving high-value educational degrees to 60% by 2025. Initiatives such as College Changes Everything play a critical role in achieving this goal by mobilizing communities and increasing the visibility and impact of collaborative work to increase higher education attainment.
