College access mission of new Kansas State University program launching this fall in Johnson, Wyandotte counties
Wednesday, July 6, 2016
MANHATTAN — Helping low-income, first-generation college and underrepresented high school students from Wyandotte and Johnson counties enter and complete higher education is the focus of Kansas State University's new Kansas State College Advising Corps and its newly appointed director.
As program director, Meaghan Higgins will be responsible for day-to-day operations of this special college access program. The Kansas State College Advising Corps will begin this fall and serve students at Turner High School, Shawnee Mission North High School, Shawnee Mission West High School, Shawnee Mission South High School, Olathe North High School and Olathe East High School, with plans to expand to additional schools in Kansas in future years.
"K-State has been very successful at graduating students who are the first in their family to attend college," said Pat Bosco, vice president for student life and dean of students. "This is a special niche for us. I have every confidence that we will continue this tradition, and through the Kansas State College Advising Corps we will serve these talented young people and provide them with the opportunity they deserve."
Offering the Kansas State College Advising Corps is an extension of the university's dedication to first-generation and underrepresented college students. Bosco noted that Kansas State University has more enrolled students who are eligible for federal Pell Grants, awarded to students with financial need, than any other university or college in Kansas. And once enrolled, the university has a track record of keeping students in school with the highest freshmen-to-sophomore retention rate in the state.
The Kansas State College Advising Corps will be housed at K-State Olathe.
Before joining the Kansas State College Advising Corps, Higgins served as a postsecondary adviser at the Kauffman Foundation with Kauffman Scholars Inc., a college access and scholarship program helping high school juniors and seniors in their efforts to prepare for and attend best-fit colleges and universities.
Higgins also worked two years with the Missouri College Advising Corps, where she was placed at Van Horn High School in Independence, Missouri, as a college adviser. During her time with the Missouri College Advising Corps, she fostered a college-going culture for underrepresented and first-generation college students. Additionally, she assisted in the navigation of complex admissions, financial aid and matriculation processes by providing intentional advising and exposure to postsecondary pathways.
"Meaghan comes to us with a wealth of knowledge and real-work experience that will greatly lend itself to rolling out our program in our inaugural year," said Bernard Franklin, assistant vice president for student life at Kansas State University and the executive director of the Kansas State College Advising Corps." I am very pleased that we could attract some one as talented and committed to this work as Meaghan."
Higgins earned a Bachelor of Science in Business administration from the University of Missouri and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Missouri, Kansas City.
For more information on the Kansas State College Advising Corps, contact Franklin at 913-307-7180 or bernardf@k-state.edu.
The College Advising Corps works to increase the number of low-income, first-generation college and underrepresented high school students who enter and complete higher education. The corps partners with 23 higher education institutions to place well-trained recent college graduates as full-time advisers in underserved schools.
