Colleges need more well-prepared students

EXPANDING ACCESS IS A FOCUS

Guy Bailey, University of Missouri-Kansas City chancellor.

His challenge: Expanding access to more students in an admissions climate that rewards exclusivity.

His focus: Offering college credits for courses at area high schools; participating in an "early-college" program at Southwest High School.

On affording college: "Dual credit courses are the best way to reduce the financial burden. If you can graduate from high school with 30 college credits, you’ve saved a lot of money. The other thing we’re trying to do is put together scholarship and financial aid packages."

Leveling the playing field: "Community colleges do a good job of remedial education. But the remedial work should be offered to students in high school. We often partner with public school districts to offer college credit to their best students. What if we took other students and started remedial work in the 10th or 11th grade?"

EXTENDING A WARM WELCOME

Jon Wefald, Kansas State University president.

His challenge: Reaching out to first-generation and minority students.

His focus: Outreach in high schools with substantial minority enrollments; Spanish-speaking admissions representatives for heavily Latino areas.

On high schools offering college-level courses: "I would say it would be a good idea for more students, whether they’re in the very sophisticated high schools of Johnson County, or in smaller districts out west, to try one or two dual-credit classes. Because they find out, ’Hey, I can write a college term paper.’ I think it’s nothing but good."

Leveling the playing field: "The first step is to let families know they have financial aid and scholarship help. The second thing is to say to students, look, you are somebody. We are going to help you fulfill your dreams. If you work hard and attend class, there’s no question that you can do it."

PLENTY OF HELP IS AVAILABLE

High school students and others seeking help with college preparation and admissions can find resources in the Kansas City area and on the Internet. Some suggestions:

Educational Opportunity Center, 3100 Main St. A free service funded by the U.S. Department of Education. The staff provides help with college selection and applications, financial aid and scholarship searches. On the web at www.mcckc.edu/eoc or by telephone at 816-759-4400.

An Educational Opportunity Center is also located in Kansas City, Kan., at Gateway Tower II, 4th & State Ave, Suite 105. By appointment only, 913-709-6906.

Mary Friend, the college coordinator at Blue Valley Northwest High School, maintains a Web site that is loaded with information about college, careers and school success. It can be accessed by parents and students from any district. The link is www.bv229.k12.ks.us/bvnwss.

Nelnet, a student loan service based in Lincoln, Neb., maintains a college planning Web site that includes helpful information on selecting schools, preparing for entrance exams and financing a college education. The link is www.collegeplanning. nelnet.net.

The College Board, the organization best known for developing the SAT and PSAT exams, has a helpful site at www.collegeboard.com.

1st Financial Bank USA has a free online advisory service for college-bound students and parents that contains, among other things, useful information about college costs. The link is www.collegedata.com.