USA Funds Assists Maryland Higher Education Commission in Outreach Efforts

For the second year, the Maryland Higher Education Commission will publish a 16-month calendar to assist with planning for college. USA Funds^® has supported the project both years, this year providing a grant of $58,213 to assist the commission in developing the calendar and to translate several of MHEC’s college-planning guides into Spanish.

Preparing for college can be a difficult and confusing time for students and their parents. Some students may not be aware of the steps they need to take when applying for college and financial aid, and others might have a difficult time managing these tasks. The MHEC calendar, titled MDgo4it, includes detailed monthly checklists to assist with planning and time management.

“Planning for college can be an overwhelming experience, and it takes a great deal of planning and preparation,” says Andrea Mansfield, assistant secretary, finance policy, MHEC. “The planning calendar offers a detailed month-to-month approach to preparing for a postsecondary education to help keep students and their families on track.” 

Distributed to all high-school juniors within each of Maryland’s 24 jurisdictions, MDgo4it includes checklists of specific activities to complete each month during the last two years of high school to be prepared to enter college. The calendar also is a useful tool for high-school guidance counselors, college admissions offices and financial-aid administrators to use when advising high school students.

Additionally, MHEC will distribute the calendar to public libraries, colleges and universities, and early intervention sites. Although the calendar is geared to students applying to two- or four-year colleges, the commission hopes it will offer something to students mulling over the possibility of any education after high school.

“Part of our mission at USA Funds is to increase postsecondary-education preparedness,” says Kyle Malone, USA Funds manager, access and outreach. “The planning calendar is an excellent tool in helping students and their parents plan for college, meet deadlines and ensure they are taking the right steps in preparing for college.”

The calendar is a complement to the commission’s College 411: The Student Guide to Higher Education and Financial Aid in Maryland. These brochures help high-school guidance counselors and college admissions and financial-aid administrators assist students and their families. Both of these guides also are available in Spanish.

To meet the needs of Maryland’s growing Hispanic population, a portion of USA Funds’ grant will fund the Spanish translation of the MHEC early awareness brochures How Far Do You Want to Go, What’s Next After High School and the parent-focused Preparing Your Child for College. Spanish worksheets will provide information on programs geared to the Spanish-speaking population of Maryland to assist them with paying for college. The Spanish-outreach materials target Spanish-speaking students in grades six through 12 and their parents, as well as adults seeking job training and educational opportunities. All publications are distributed to public libraries, colleges and universities, and early intervention sites, including those that work with Hispanic youths and adults.

“We found that, in some cases, students could read the materials, but parents and other family members could not utilize the literature,” says Mansfield. “College preparation takes effort from the whole family, so it was important to translate these brochures into Spanish to encourage involvement from those who speak and read only Spanish.”