OCAN's 2008-2009 biennial budget request to the state of Ohio outlined a plan to expand college access on a regional basis in Appalachian and rural Ohio. OCAN’s member college access and retention programs, as well as partner organizations, need more and better data to plan this type of programming that supports rural Appalachian Ohio’s students, particularly low-income and first-generation students, in accessing and completing a postsecondary program. Necessary data to support program decisions include the current college-going rate, barriers to enrollment and completion, degree completion rate, and the issues and decisions of high school and college students that affect their success in higher education.

In collaboration with the Ohio Department of Education (ODE), Ohio Board of Regents (OBR), Ohio Appalachian Center for Higher Education (OACHE) and Ohio University (OU), OCAN is in the midst of a two-year research study titled, Access and Success—Appalachian Ohio: College Access, Retention, Postsecondary Pathways, and Completion. The rationale behind the overall study is that organizations committed to assisting Appalachian Ohio students to access and complete a postsecondary program need more and better data to develop effective programming. The data necessary to support program decisions include the current college going rate, barriers to enrollment and completion, degree completion rate, and the issues and decisions of high school and college students that affect their success in higher education. Another purpose of this study is to design a research methodology and protocols that can be replicated elsewhere, such as in other Ohio regions with low-income, first-generation college students and others who are traditionally underrepresented in higher education.

The principal investigator, Ohio University, will deliver the research findings of this multi-part study as they are available through a series of five reports. Below is a link to the first report from the study that was released November 2007.

Access and Success - Appalachian Ohio Report