College Now Greater Cleveland received the Member of the Year Award of Excellence at the 2020 NCAN National Conference, which was held virtually. This award recognizes the work of a college access and success program to fulfill NCAN's mission of building,
strengthening, and empowering communities and stakeholders to close equity gaps in postsecondary attainment for all students.
As a founding member of NCAN, College Now Greater Cleveland's history dates back 50 years. And while no one could have imagined experiencing a global pandemic, this organization’s response to the COVID-19 crisis
has been nothing short of outstanding, demonstrating the agility of the team and a tremendous commitment to their mission.
College Now was founded to address issues of education inequity and inequality. The organization knew that scholarship dollars would be greatly helpful to the students it served, but it was clear these students also needed the knowledge of how to access
a postsecondary education in order to succeed. This organization was really the first of its kind in the county when it began placing college and financial aid advisers in school buildings.
Since its founding, College Now has grown to be one of the largest college access organizations in the nation, and it serves as a leadership model for others. It has expanded to serving students in 185 school and community buildings throughout five counties.
On average, College Now serves 30,000 individuals each year from middle school-aged students through adult learners.
Every year, College Now awards $3.78 million in scholarships to 1,900 high school graduates and adult learners. Since its inception, this organization has awarded $79 million in scholarships.
College Now rose to the challenges presented by the pandemic and switched almost instantly to a virtual model of delivering its advising programs and services on all levels. In-school advisers jumped into action and used digital tools and social media
to reach students outside of the physical classroom. The in-person curriculum became virtual, and advisers continued to assist students with completing the FAFSA, filling out scholarship applications, and evaluating financial aid offers and college
acceptances.
To round up some stats:
This organization served 4,106 total students from March 15 through May 31, 2020 via this virtual model, and attracted 215 total students to its new virtual event series this spring.
Advisers spent nearly 6,000 hours on remote advising between March 15 and May 31, as well as nearly 3,500 hours planning for school and summer virtual programming to reach students across the organization’s footprint.
The work paid off. Despite FAFSA completion rates being down by 3.5% across the country, as of early June 2020, FAFSA completion rates in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District were up to 52% from 48% at the same time last year.
College Now is known to be innovative and collaborative. It’s been cited as a “most effective partner” because of its dedication to students and its ability to adapt to the changing world and environment of those students. It is an organization that has
withstood the test of time and continues to be an important part of the fabric of Cleveland.
Ricardo Torres, president and CEO of the National Student Clearing house and an NCAN board member, presented the award to Dr. Michele Scott Taylor, chief program officer at College Now Greater Cleveland. As the award winner, College Now will receive $5,000
to put toward general operating support, scholarships, and/or professional development.
NCAN solicits nominees from its membership for the annual Awards of Excellence in College Access and Success. A committee of NCAN members reviews all nominations, with final decisions confirmed by the NCAN
board of directors. NCAN thanks the members of the 2020 Awards Committee for their service:
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