MAYOR NUTTER OPENS 

PHILLYGOES2COLLEGE OFFICE IN CITY HALL

    PHILADELPHIA – The Mayor’s Office of Education opened its new PhillyGoes2CollegeOffice (PG2C) and launched a companion website, www.PhillyGoes2College.com.  These two sources of college access information offer an unprecedented tool, encouraging more Philadelphia residents to attend and complete college.  The PhillyGoes2College office is the next step in Mayor Michael A. Nutter’s education agenda to double the percentage of Philadelphians who attend and complete college in the next 5 to 10 years.  

    “Philadelphia’s future depends on increasing the number of our citizens with college degrees as we know that when we fail to help more people get to college, we fail to create the competitive workforce that’s needed for our city and state,” said Mayor Nutter.  “The economic benefits of an educated city extend far beyond the individual—our neighborhoods, city, and nation will reap the rewards as well.  With PhillyGoes2College, Philadelphians of all ages will receive the information and referrals they need to plan for, attend, and succeed in college.”

    Current statistics on education levels in the City are alarming.  Research shows that very few 9th graders in the public school system persist to graduation or matriculation in any kind of post secondary training and education. Of 12,230 ninth graders entering high school in 1999, 58% graduated within six years.  Of these, only 2,982 (24%) entered college within a year of high school graduation  and a mere 10%, approximately 1,200 of these students eventually graduated from college ten years later (in 2009).   This pattern makes a clear difference in the lifetime earnings of our citizens.  A high school dropout is expected to make less than $500,000 in a lifetime. That number rises to $870,000 with a high school diploma.  But college graduates can expect to make more than $2 million in a lifetime.    

    The implications for the economic stability of Philadelphia and the nation are equally clear.  Compared to a high school dropout, a high school graduate will contribute $580,000 more in local, state, federal taxes and other payments from earnings and wages.  A citizen with a bachelor’s degree will make a contribution to society of nearly a million dollars ($942,000) more than a citizen who has dropped out of high school.  

    “College degree attainment is critical to ensuring a city’s economic viability,” according to Donald J. Borut, executive director, National League of Cities. “Mayor Nutter is to be commended for his leadership to increase Philadelphia’s college attainment rate. The National League of Cities congratulates the City of Philadelphia on the opening of the PhillyGoes2College office. There is no doubt that this Office will serve as a model for other cities nationwide.”

The 3-1-1 for College Hopefuls

    The office and website provide comprehensive guidance and referral information for students of any age.  PhillyGoes2College will not only support the network of college access programs available to existing high school students, but will encourage middle school students to plan ahead and take the right courses to get into the college of their choice.  

   Prospective college students are frequently overwhelmed by the search to identify a set of colleges to which they might be admitted.   College hopefuls also must navigate a complex set of practical steps to complete any college application.  Taking the SATs, meeting deadlines, completing financial aid applications, finding scholarship opportunities, writing essays, gathering recommendations and paying application fees can pose major barriers to a successful college application process.  

    PhillyGoes2College can guide college applicants through a maze of questions and obstacles with practical tips and reliable connections to help students more effectively apply and enroll in the college of their choice.  In addition to a spectrum of local and national college access information, the new website provides links to services that let you plug in test scores and grades to generate a list of colleges that match your needs and qualifications.  

      The service is not just for younger students.  Adults who have some college credits and want to go back to complete course requirements as well as adults who have no credits but want to earn a degree will find assistance from PhillyGoes2College.   PhillyGoes2College is targeting 73,000 “comebackers”, residents who have earned some college credits but fell short of finishing their degree requirements.  

    “With only 21% of our citizens now holding undergraduate degrees, the Mayor has set an aggressive goal to support all Philadelphia residents who want to further their education,” said Philadelphia Chief Education Officer Lori Shorr.  “Research shows that students who would otherwise qualify for college can be discouraged by the multi-step applications, particularly first-generation college-goers.  Finding the right college match is difficult and requires serious research and guidance.   And for everyone, finding a way to finance a college education is a frequent deterrent, despite millions of dollars in scholarship money which is unclaimed annually due to lack of applications.”  

   One of the most valuable features of the new office is providing information and support services available for filing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid or FAFSA.   FAFSA is the document that all students and families must submit to colleges and universities to be eligible for student financial aid from federal, state and private sources.   The form has always been long and frustrating, requesting much of the financial information required by the IRS tax return and more.  Completing the form is a major hurdle for many who desperately need federal grants, scholarships or loans to make their college dreams come true.  An estimated 1.5 million low-income students go without financial aid because they never file the FAFSA form.    

    PhillyGoes2College has had significant success with projects that give one-on-one guidance for families who find the FAFSA form confusing.  In the winter of 2009, PG2C and a broad coalition of community partners recruited and trained 100 city employees to help complete the forms.  Partners included colleges and universities, the School District of Philadelphia as well as local non-profit, community based organizations.  

    The effort netted a 12% increase in financial aid applications which resulted in more than$194 million in additional financial aid for Philadelphia students.   A workshop held in February was successful in helping families complete the FAFSA form and write essays to be used for scholarship applications.  This year, the office will sponsor two additional financial aid workshops (on March 27 and April 17) in advance of the May 1 deadline to apply for aid from the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA).  Information about the workshops is available on the website.

   In November, 2009, PG2C drew thousands of college hopefuls to its first College Awareness Week, a series of college prep sessions and college fairs connecting middle and high school students with information on academic preparation, applications and how to succeed in college.   A special session on Historically Black Colleges and Universities was attended by more than 1500 students.   The event will be an annual feature of the PhillyGoes2College campaign.  

   “As a country, we must do all we can to increase the resources and opportunities available to our citizens in their pursuit of a college degree,” says Greg Darnieder, special assistant to the secretary of education, US Department of Education.  “The PhillyGoes2College office is exactly the kind of initiative that will fill this important role. It truly takes community and school leaders, parents and mentors to support students of all ages as they reach for their educational dreams.”  

    The PhillyGoes2College Office is open Monday through Friday, 9:00am to 5:00 pm.  Walk-in hours are Monday from noon to 2:00 pm, Tuesday and Wednesday from 3:00 pm to 7:00 pm and Thursday from 10:00 am to noon.  You can stop by the office which is located in Room 115 (at the Northeast entrance of City Hall) or call 215-686-0315.  For a host of local and national on-line resources, log on to www.PhillyGoes2College.com.