| Overall Rating | Silver - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 56.42 |
| Liaison | Kate Witte |
| Submission Date | May 25, 2017 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Keene State College
PA-7: Affordability and Access
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.62 / 4.00 |
Cary
Gaunt Director of Campus Sustainability Sustainability |
Does the institution have policies and programs to make it accessible and affordable to low-income students?:
A brief description of any policies and programs to minimize the cost of attendance for low-income students:
The Keene State College Mission and Values statement clearly names this commitment:
"As a public institution, we provide educational opportunities for all qualified students and continue our heritage of service to New Hampshire and the New England region." (http://www.keene.edu/administration/mission/)
We have an web site with information about the costs of attending KSC, as well as links to loans, grants and other funding streams. Personnel in Student Financial Services and Admissions are excellent resources for all of our students, with up to date information. (http://www.keene.edu/admissions/aid/)
Admission fees can be waived for students with financial needs and over 60% of scholarships/grants go to students who have been identified as in financial need.
On average, 70% of the financial aid needs of students who were awarded any need-based aid were met.
A brief description of any programs to equip the institution’s faculty and staff to better serve students from low-income backgrounds:
The Aspire Program at Keene State College works to raise awareness of economic inequality and injustice issues on campus, especially ones that impact students, and it also works to foster a climate of institutional support for students from low-income backgrounds and others needing assistance. The Program provides students with academic support services designed to enhance success, by improving performance and giving them the tools they need to not only survive college, but thrive. (http://www.keene.edu/academics/departments/aspire/)
A brief description of the institution’s programs to guide and prepare students and families from low-income backgrounds for higher education:
The Aspire Program offers:
• individualized peer tutoring
• study-skills workshops
• study-skills handouts
• skill building
• academic advising
• financial-aid advising
• one-on-one educational counseling
• a small computer lab for Aspire students
• Supplemental Instruction Program
• Link Program
Aspire encourages students to take full advantage of the services available at Keene State. They also assist students in examining their strengths and limitations in order to create a realistic schedule of classes.
LINKS program (http://www.keene.edu/academics/departments/aspire/links-program/):
The Links program is a six-week summer program designed for first-time college students. The purpose of Links is to expose students to the academic and social expectations of college in a supportive learning community. The program takes place in classrooms, a residence hall, around campus and in the local Keene community.
Co-curricular and classroom components are integrated in an attempt to make learning relevant and meaningful. Links components are designed to improve and develop skills such as college reading, writing, critical thinking, and communication.
At the close of the six weeks, students are better able to handle the varied demands of college and be active, contributing members of the Keene State College community. Plus, students pursuing high credit majors have already completed two required courses prior to the fall semester!
A brief description of the institution's scholarships for low-income students:
Many of the available endowed scholarships, grants and scholarships, including our Leadership Award Scholarship, have a need based component.
Two thirds of our institutional grants go towards students who've been identified as in need of financial support. That includes endowed scholarships, annual gifts and tuition funded grants awarded by the college, excluding athletic aid and tuition waivers.
In addition we have ready information about Title IV programs.
Information is readily available on the keene.edu website.
A brief description of the institution’s targeted outreach to recruit students from low-income backgrounds:
Keene State College admissions is considered need blind - which means that family income is not considered when determining eligibility for admissions. Admissions counselors do familiarize themselves with income levels and college experiences of the areas in which they work.
In regions where the average income level would be considered low and the first generation rate high, Admissions counselors connect with agencies such as the NHHEAF, Upward Bound and Talent Search to develop strategies to work with students through the admissions and financial aid processes.
In addition, we have the Upward Bound and LINKS programs
A brief description of the institution’s other policies or programs to make the institution accessible and affordable to low-income students:
Our Elliot Center groups together helpful student services including:
• Academic and Career Advising
• ASPIRE
• Admissions
• Center for Health and Wellness
• Counseling Center
• Dean of Students
• Office of Disability Services
• Registrar's Office
• Student Development Office
• Student Financial Services
• Associate Vice President for Student Affairs
• Assistant Vice President for Academic Services
Does the institution have policies and programs to support non-traditional students?:
A brief description of the institution’s scholarships provided specifically for part-time students:
A brief description of the institution’s on-site child care facility, partnership with a local facility, and/or subsidies or financial support to help meet the child care needs of students:
Keene State College has an onsite daycare facility, the Child Development Center (CDC), which is available for the children of faculty, staff, and students. See http://www.keene.edu/office/cdc/.
A brief description of the institution’s other policies and programs to support non-traditional students:
Non-traditional students are supported and honored at Keene State in myriad ways through programs overseen by the Office of Diversity and Multiculturalism and the Aspire Program. Non-traditional students also are routinely honored in the Keene State College news (See http://www.keene.edu/news/stories/detail/1453992042735/ for an example story.)
Does the institution wish to pursue Part 2 of this credit (tracking accessibility and affordability)? (If data is not available, select 'No'):
The percentage of entering students that are low-income (0-100):
The graduation/success rate for low-income students (0-100):
On average, the percentage of need that was met for students who were awarded any need-based aid (e.g. as reported to the U.S. Common Data Set initiative, item H2) (0-100):
The percentage of students graduating with no interest-bearing student loan debt or for whom no out-of-pocket tuition is required (i.e. the percentage of graduates who have not taken out interest-bearing loans) (0-100):
Estimated percentage of students that participate in or directly benefit from the institution’s policies and programs to support low-income and non-traditional students (0-100):
The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
• http://admissions.keene.edu/find-the-right-fit/person-to-person
• http://www.keene.edu/aspire/
• http://www.keene.edu/academics/departments/aspire/links-program/
• http://www.keene.edu/academics/departments/ub/
This section was originally compiled by Jay Kahn, former Vice President of Finance and Planning. It was updated by Cary Gaunt, Director of Campus Sustainability, and reviewed by Steve Goetsch, Associate Vice President for Enrollment Management.
• http://admissions.keene.edu/find-the-right-fit/person-to-person
• http://www.keene.edu/aspire/
• http://www.keene.edu/academics/departments/aspire/links-program/
• http://www.keene.edu/academics/departments/ub/
This section was originally compiled by Jay Kahn, former Vice President of Finance and Planning. It was updated by Cary Gaunt, Director of Campus Sustainability, and reviewed by Steve Goetsch, Associate Vice President for Enrollment Management.
The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.