Miami Regionals Launches College Access Partnership Initiative

Miami University Regionals announced today it has established partnerships with area school districts and career centers to increase college readiness, college attendance and college success rates of high school graduates.

“The goal of the partnership is to better serve students through cross-sector collaboration. We are building strong connections among our partnering school districts and career centers. All of us are committed to doing everything we can to ensure that our area high school graduates are ready for college, wherever they decide to go,” said Dr. Cathy Bishop-Clark, associate provost and dean of Miami University Regionals.

A recent kickoff meeting at Miami Middletown included area superintendents, principals, teachers, guidance counselors, and curriculum coordinators, along with Miami Regionals administrators, faculty and staff, Bishop-Clark said.

Dr. Liza Skryzhevska, associate dean for academic affairs and coordinator of the College Access Partnership, said the initial conversation focused on building a strong foundation for ongoing partnerships.

Participating school districts thus far include Hamilton, Middletown, Fairfield, Mason, Talawanda, Madison, Lebanon, Springboro, Monroe, Cincinnati Public Schools, Butler Tech and Warren County Career Center. Other districts interested in participating are encouraged to contact Skryzhevska, skryzhy@MiamiOH.edu.

Expert teams have been formed that include representatives from partnering districts and career centers, focusing on college visits for high school seniors, and professional development opportunities for high school guidance counselors, college admission counselors and academic advisors.

“Interaction among counterparts will be key to the success of this partnership. Together, we are planning for the future by establishing meaningful relationships, agreements, and mutual understanding of each other’s goals, missions, rules, and requirements,” Skryzhevska said.

College can be daunting, and difficult to navigate, for entering students lacking knowledge and understanding of the college environment and the college experience. High school graduates need to have knowledge of programs and support services that colleges provide to help them reach their educational goals and launch their professional careers.

 “We want the expert teams to work over the summer and continue to communicate throughout the year. All partnering organizations are focused on college awareness, readiness, retention, graduation, and career success of high school graduates,” Skryzhevska said.