Expertise in the arena of college guidance for first-generation and underserved students prepares Center for Student Opportunity to lend assistance to institutions and organizations that seek to establish or expand college access and retention programs. Through the CSO College Center initiative and other outreach efforts, the organization is a leading resource and wealth of knowledge. Armed with this knowledge and experience, Center for Student Opportunity works with colleges and universities, as well as with existing community-based nonprofits, to develop and grow programs that focus on college access and success for first-generation and historically underserved student populations. Implementing programs founded upon proven best practices in the field will strengthen the landscape of college guidance and preparation for the target student demographic.

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College Grant Opportunity

CSO has allocated grant funding to develop pilot programs in collaboration with select college partners. Funding and in-kind consulting are available for CSO college partners that have an interest in working with and receiving funding from CSO to develop community outreach, student recruitment, and/or retention programs serving first-generation and other historically underserved student populations. Grant proposals are accepted on a rolling basis. Contact CSO at info@csopportunity.org to learn more and to request the RFP. 

2006 Program Development Grant Awards:

Berea College, Carter G. Woodson Open House
CSO has pledged to support and expand Berea College’s Carter G. Woodson Open House, an annual event to welcome African-American prospective students to campus. The Program Development grant will cover travel expenses in increasing the number of prospective students that can attend the Open House and will address the event’s programming to increase the likelihood of matriculation among the invited students.

Georgia College & State University, Academic Initiative for Males Academy
CSO is joining the University System of Georgia to fund and inaugurate the Academic Initiative for Males (AIM) Academy on GCSU’s campus. AIM Academy is a two-week residential program for 20 African-American male students ages 12-14 from central Georgia surrounding self-empowerment and academic achievement through leadership development, civic engagement, service-learning and educational competencies. The CSO grant will assist AIM in building its college awareness and motivation program component and offer support in designing an effective evaluation tool to measure the successes of the program.

Gonzaga University, Yakima County Outreach Initiative
CSO and Gonzaga University are joining forces to undertake an outreach program serving Native American and Hispanic first-generation students and families in the Yakima Valley region of Washington State. The program will solicit student nominees from the 15 area high schools and select a cohort of 60 students, and their families, to participate in a comprehensive series of college and financial aid workshops and seminars throughout the academic year. While focusing on preparing the participants for college, the cohort’s graduating seniors and their parents will also be groomed to serve as mentors and contacts for future college-bound students and parents, as the program builds a college-bound culture in Yakima.

Oberlin College, Ninde Scholars Program
CSO is collaborating with the Ninde Scholars Program, an outreach effort launched by Oberlin College’s Community-Based Writing Program in 2005. The Ninde Scholars Program serves a dozen high achieving, low-income high school students in Oberlin, Ohio emphasizing writing as a tool for preparing and motivating students to pursue post-secondary education. The Program Development grant will expand and enhance the program as it enters its second year of operation, as well as refine and develop the innovative program as a respected model in college access and preparation.

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Interested in CSO's Program Development consulting services...?

Center for Student Opportunity can assist colleges in the development of:

• Pre-College Community Outreach: invest in your surrounding community to help local youth begin thinking about college, exposing them to the college experience, navigating the college search and application process, and preparing for college.
  
  
• Student Recruitment Programs: implement an effective recruitment strategy and/or scholarship program aimed to help attract first-generation and other underserved students.
  
  
• College Preparation Programs: intensive summer workshops or orientation sessions with matriculating students to ensure a smooth transition to college life.
  
  
• On-Campus Support Programs: craft a program that provides a support network on campus, such as academic support services or mentoring programs, to improve college success for first-generation and underserved students.
  
  
• Innovative Programs: residential and learning communities are on the cutting edge of the college experience and provide close-knit support networks conducive to learning and succeeding. 

Center for Student Opportunity can assist community-based nonprofits in the development of:

• College Awareness and Motivation Programs: focused on motivating elementary and middle school students to want to go to college.
  
  
• College Search and Application Programs: engage students in approaching the college search and finding a list of schools that fit their criteria, and ensure students have the tools and knowledge to compile an outstanding college application and essay. 
  
  
• College Preparation Programs: provide students with the knowledge and resources to make a smooth tranistion into college life and pave a successful road to college graduation.