First Foundation Inc.’s Post

This week we shared part 1 of a conversation we had with Mallory Dwinal-Palisch of Reach University to hear about their new approach to education. Reach University is taking an innovative approach to building talent pipelines in rural communities. She explained: "Reach is a regionally accredited nonprofit university that does exactly one thing and only one thing. And that is we work with school districts to take high potential individuals that they've identified around their building, typically paraprofessionals. But sometimes it's lunch ladies or bus drivers, but people who that school has said, 'Hey, I see this person working every day with my students, they would be a great teacher, but they don't have the college degree and they cannot afford mountains of student loan debt or years out of the workforce to get there." By leveraging on-the-job learning and keeping costs ultra low, Reach lets promising teaching candidates in rural communities earn credentials without leaving or taking on debt. This grow-your-own approach creates local talent pipelines tailored to districts' needs. Reach's singular focus on providing apprenticeship teaching degrees is key to making the model work. What do you think of this purpose-driven university concept focused on a community's human capital needs? Let us know in the comments below and we'll get back to you. This episode is made with the support of Ascendium's Education Philanthropy. #highered #highereducation

Dual Credit programming is so valuable to high school students - it allows them to explore post-secondary learning and potential programs while earning college and high school credits.

This is great news for #Michigan's #highschool graduates. It's a big step towards making #highereducation more accessible and affordable for everyone. The #CommunityCollegeGuarantee initiative is a smart investment in Michigan's #futureworkforce. By removing #financialbarriers, more students will be able to pursue #associatedegrees or #skillscertificates, leading to better #jobopportunities and higher #earningpotential. It's encouraging to see states like Michigan taking the lead on free #communitycollege, especially after federal proposals stalled. This demonstrates a commitment to investing in #education and #workforcedevelopment at the state level. One thing to watch is how this program will be funded in the long term. While the initial funding is secured, it's important to ensure the program's sustainability to continue benefiting future generations of students.

At the SSU Development Foundation Board retreat, we focused on reviewing the outstanding impact Shawnee State University has made in the community and the trajectory of the University into the future with state of the art facilities, community revitalization projects, athletic programs taking off with International and National recruits, and adding Masters program to the curriculum. As more and more students and parents start to focus on the ever important ROI from the higher education dollars they are spending, SSU continues to be voted as one of the most efficient Universities in Ohio, with 88% of students qualifying for financial aid, low tuition costs, but good return on investment for training and developing the workforce of the future. A highlight that should stick out to any potential student "Lowest Student Debt." Shawnee is helping advance our workforce without having them start off behind stuck in overwhelming student debt that cripples their future. #workforceofthefuture #GoBears #universities #returnoninvestment #highereducation #effective #efficient

Pursuing higher education as an adult can be stressful. But: Maine Community Foundation’s Adult Learner Scholarships are available to help! These scholarships are intended to help relieve some of the financial burden of pursuing your goals so you can focus on what is important: school. If you’re getting ready to apply, check out this video for three quick tips to help maximize your application’s success. For more information about Adult Learner Scholarships, including recent changes to the program, please visit: https://lnkd.in/eDm6mQTZ #maine #mainecommunityfoundation #mainecf #education #learning #adultscholarships #adultlearning #mainescholarships #scholarships

What is your state doing for students with some college credit and no degree?? #stopouts #pathways #adultlearners #highered #highereducation #studentsuccess #collegesanduniversities #communitycolleges #transfersuccess #studentparent #comm_college

An interesting proposal to tie community college funding more closely to workforce-related deliverables in North Carolina. It poses some interesting questions about the most effective ways to ensure that community colleges are meeting workforce needs, and what the balance should be when considering how these needs should or shouldn't drive funding and curriculum decisions. #communitycolleges #northcarolina #workforcedevelopment #highered #funding

Lifelong learning just got better here in the Commonwealth. Choosing an education pathway can be a maze of twists and turns that can baffle even the best of individuals. With the recent announcement of the Mass Reconnect Program, a new way to make education affordable, Massachusetts residents have many ways to find an affordable education pathway after high school. Learn your options - https://wp.me/p7FUFP-2lv #EducationPathways #trades #collegedegree #affordableeducation #EducationMatters #LifelongLearning #upskilling #financialplanning #financialsupport

"At ACE, we’ve seen time and again inspiring stories of children finding education opportunities that work best for them and excelling as a result. It’s what bright futures are built on," - ACE Scholarships CEO Norton Rainey The surge in demand for school choice scholarships reflects a growing recognition of the need for personalized learning paths and tailored educational solutions. In the aftermath of COVID learning loss, families actively seek opportunities that empower them to make the best choices for their children's education. Click the link below ⬇ to read the full article on how ACE Scholarships is leading this movement! #acescholarships #schoolchoice #schoolchoiceweek #schoolchoiceworks

It's hard to talk about Big Bets without looking to southeast Michigan. Over the past couple of years, a committed group of philanthropies, civic groups, community colleges, school districts, and private-sector partners from the electric vehicle industry have been working together to radically transform the region's talent system. The idea turned into the Detroit Drives Degrees Community College Collaborative (D3C3), which has produced collective and individual strategies to increase postsecondary attainment. Facilitated by the Detroit Regional Chamber - with support from CivicLab & Michigan College Access Network - D3C3 is working towards the goal of reducing the postsecondary completion gap for learners of color in half by 2030. While many places make these goal statements, very few are making progress like Detroit. That progress is fueled by an initial investment of over $30M from Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation and Ballmer Group. These funds support the robust facilitation of the collaborative effort AND provides individual colleges resources to redesign institutional policy and practice. D3C3 has set three goals that contribute to their marquee-level mission: (1) Increase enrollment and community college completion rates. This entails a strong focus on addressing racial equity gaps, leading to more students obtaining high-value credentials or degrees that meet employer needs and lead to good-paying jobs.   (2) Align and deepen pathways between the K-12 system and community colleges to accelerate and expand access to dual enrollment and early college options.  (3) Build stronger partnerships with employers to develop sector-wide strategies for talent pipeline development, upskilling, and reskilling, beginning with the mobility sector. To develop strategies that realize these goals, the partnership is organized into three key clusters (one per goal) of stakeholders including the 7 regional community colleges: Henry Ford College, Macomb Community College, Monroe Community College, Oakland Community College, Schoolcraft College, Washtenaw Community College, and Wayne County Community College District. At the convening, you will learn more about the strategies these many partners have co-created, how their individual campus-level work aligns and contributes to regional goals, and how D3C3 is pursuing systems change through a methodical engagement process. Presenters include: Greg Handel, Meghan Schmidbauer, MBA, Christi Taylor, and Stephanie Weiss (Iovan). Register today and learn from this and other big bets! https://lnkd.in/gqdBpXXQ Our generous sponsors allow us to feature these big bets. Thanks to Lumina Foundation, Ascendium Education Group, Alabama Possible, and Troy Street Professional Services. #TalentLivesHere https://lnkd.in/gZYVBz7R