In 2016, Oregon set up a grant to help pay for graduating high school students’ community college education. It was initially advertised as “free college” for all high school students.
However, it quickly became a communications and administrative nightmare as the funding projections fell short. Additionally, eligibility requirements were major confusion and students didn’t understand the application process.
I came in at the end of 2016 and was asked to mediate with the communication contractor to find solutions. The contractors purpose was to advertise and increase applicants, I decided to switch the focus to educating student support staff. A report was published around that time that identified “key areas of confusion” for applicants. I created a powerpoint presentation that addressed these areas of confusion. With simple graphics, we were able to demystify some of the eligibility issues. I had the state agency reach out to local high schools, college financial aid offices, and the general public. We hosted webinars presenting the powerpoint. Ultimately, we presented to several hundred support staff. These presentations were recorded and viewed by several hundred more.
The powerpoint of the presentation is found HERE.
An example of the webinars we hosted, can be watched, HERE.
Later, I was able to create educational videos to better illustrate the requirements for some of the “key areas of confusion” This can be seen on the display to the right or found HERE.
Due to our communication and outreach efforts, we found a significant decrease in the number of calls, facebook messages, and overall negative feedback on the issues around the Oregon Promise. It continues to be a complicated and evolving grant program, plagued with changing requirements and inconsistent funding. But we have found significant success in strengthening our communications channels so that the right people can stay abreast of these changes and in turn give correct information to students.
I designed additional materials to help support and educate student support staff about the eligibility requirements.
Oregon Promise Handout (English) (Spanish)
How to Calculate the Oregon Promise Award