WASHINGTON — In order to make higher education a reality for more students from diverse backgrounds, colleges and universities must be more proactive about reaching students when they are still in high school.
That was the heart of the message that University of North Carolina Chancellor Carol Folt delivered Tuesday at the National Press Club during a talk about ways to increase college access and affordability.
“Develop programs that go directly into the high schools,” Folt said as she touted the UNC Carolina College Advising Corps.
The initiative partners with 64 high schools throughout North Carolina and trains recent college graduates to provide advising to high school students to help them find a college that represents a good fit.
“If you want to solve this problem, you can’t start with the [college] applicant,” Folt said. “You have to go into the high school.”
Folt also stressed the need to invest in advising and providing academic support to students during their freshman year in college.
“Pay attention to what takes place in the first years,” Folt said. If institutions fail to invest in students during their first year in college, “no matter how much you spend they aren’t going to be successful.”
