For Immediate Release: January 30, 2007
Contact Person: Kimberly Gormley, Director of Marketing & Communications, 614-668-2954

Eight Ohio College Access Network Member Organizations Receive Seal Designation

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio College Access Network (OCAN) is pleased to announce that eight organizations across the state have earned OCAN’s Seal of Good Practice for exceptional success providing low-income, underserved youth or adults the opportunity to go to college.

The following college access programs that earned the Seal have been hard at work in Ohio schools, serving the needs of our citizens and strengthening our communities by helping more Ohioans access and succeed in post-secondary education: Cincinnati Youth Collaborative, Clermont Educational Opportunities, Lake/Geauga Educational Assistance Foundation (LEAF), Lima/Allen County College Access Program, Northwest Ohio College Access Program: Think College Now, Springfield Higher Education Partnership, Southern Ohio Center for Excellence, and University and College Access Network (U-CAN) of Richland County. “I am confident that these leading OCAN programs will not only increase college enrollment by counseling  students about the college admissions and financial aid processes, but, over time, they will ultimately provide Ohio with a more educated workforce,” said Reginald A. Wilkinson, Ed.D., President and CEO of OCAN.

The OCAN Seal of Good Practice was developed to establish a model for how well-managed college access programs should operate. To be eligible for the Seal, OCAN Traditional Member Programs must have demonstrated that they are healthy and trusted organizations that attain five key areas of organizational operations including organized strategic planning and a clear mission, appropriate governance, stable financial management, strong organizational policy, and an established data tracking mechanism that measures program outcomes. The Seal is good for two years and will expire in December 2009.  

 These highly credible college access organizations will be invited to apply for the exclusive OCAN Seal of Excellence, which further recognizes OCAN member organizations that include quality career and financial aid advisory services, hands-on college application assistance, higher education information, a local resource center and Last Dollar Grants/Scholarships.

The success of OCAN member organizations often depends on public confidence and support. With the OCAN Seal of Good Practice and Seal of Excellence, member programs are recognized for their many achievements and business-like approach to enriching society through education.

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The Ohio College Access Network (OCAN) was founded in 1999, by KnowledgeWorks Foundation, in collaboration with the Ohio Board of Regents, the Ohio Department of Education and the Ohio Business Roundtable.  OCAN works to establish college access programs across the state and is the first statewide coordinating body for college access programs in the nation. The goal of the organization is to help more Ohio students pursue postsecondary education through the work of local college access programs, which provide financial aid advising, last dollar grants, career guidance, and other services.  Currently, 36 college access programs serve nearly 300 of Ohio’s 612 school districts, and 17 private/parochial schools in 46 counties touching nearly 200,000 students annually.