amarillo college poverty initiative
TRANSCRIPT
AMARILLO COLLEGE’S PRESIDENT,
DR. RUSSELL LOWERY-HART
WHY A POVERTY INITIATIVE?
Statistic City of Amarillo State of Texas
Population 192,250 26,059,203
Persons below poverty level 16.9% 17.0%
Per Capita Income $23,752 $25,548
High School Graduate (age 25+) 82.3% 80.4%
Less than 9th Grade 7.7% 9.5%
9th to 12th Grade 10.0% 9.4%
High School Graduate 24.9% 25.5%
Some College, No Degree 27.5% 22.6%
Bachelor’s degree or higher (age
25+)
22.3% 26.1%
INTERVENTIONS1) Social Services
2) Food Panty
3) Coaches & Champions Mentoring Program
4) AC Career & Employment Services
AC Money Management Center
5) Early Alert System
Retention Alert
Classroom Attendance Scanning
Gradebook Connection
6) Predictive Modeling
Bb Analytics
Tutoring Centers (Match ORC, Writers Corner,
Science Enrichment Center)
AC CAREER & EMPLOYMENT SERVICES
Connects students to career and
employment opportunities
Connects Amarillo College and Texas
Workforce Commission
Hosts monthly workshops and events
EARLY ALERT SYSTEM
Faculty, staff online intervention
tool
Alerts can be issued for:
Academic Dishonesty
Behavioral or Mental Health Concerns
Disability Services
Low Grades or Attendance
Social Services Need
Innovative Use of Technology
Classroom Attendance Scanning
System
Connection to Gradebook in Bb
PREDICTIVE MODELING
FOOD PANTRY : STOCKING THE AC FOOD PANTRY
FOOD PANTRY : GETTING STARTED
• Space for pantry
• Available and passionate person
• Starter funds
FOOD PANTRY
Growth and Logistics
• Started minimally
• Referred by instructors and advisors
• No proof of finances
• Fill one bag
• Two visits per month
• Grown to 70 visits per month
• Now costs $500 to $700 per month to stock
FOOD PANTRY
Fund Raising / Donations
• Tasty Towers
• Thanksgiving bags
• Department food item adoptions
• United Way giving
• We are an agency under our local Food Bank (low cost food)
• Community partners
FOOD PANTRY Pantry stories
Referral to social services
HISTORY OF SOCIAL SERVICES
• Story
• No systematic process to refer
students
• Bill & Melinda Gates Grant
• Student Survey of Needs
TOP TEN STUDENT NEEDS
I N I T I A L
• Transportation
• Shelter
• Legal
• Utilities
• Food
• Clothing
• Childcare
• Medical/Dental/Vision
• Emergency Referral
• Counseling
C U R R E N T
• School Needs (Tuition Scholarships, Textbooks & Testing
Fees)
• Housing
• Transportation
• Student Money Management Referral
• Career & Employment Services
• Childcare
• Amarillo College Food Pantry Referral
• Adult Students Program Referral
• Counseling Referral
• Utility Assistance
HOW CAN YOUR STUDENTS RECEIVE ASSISTANCE?
• Ways to refer:o Retention Alert System
o Advisors
o Faculty/Staff
o Self-Referral
• Identify the student’s need and locate
resources.
CAMPUS RESOURCES
• Campus Resources:
o Adult Students Program
o Amarillo College Foundation – No Excuses Fund
o Amarillo College Financial Aid
o Amarillo College Food Pantry
o Amarillo College Mentoring Program
o Career & Employment Services
o Finisher’s Club
o Money Management Center
COMMUNITY RESOURCES
• Community Resources:
o Panhandle Community Services
o Family Support Services
o Samaritan Pastoral Counseling
o Mission Amarillo
o Cal Farley’s
o 211
o Workforce Solutions – Workforce Investment Act & Child
Care Services
o Specialty Coaches
• Total of students: 298
- 218 Female
- 80 Male
• 65.09% Retention Rate
• 39.15% Persistence Rate
• 20.75% Graduation Rate
2013
Total of funds distributed: $22,128.20
Adult Students Program Referral,
31
Budget Planning, 27
Career, 39
Childcare, 19
Clothing, 11
Counseling Referral, 25
Financial Aid, 17
Food , 41
Housing, 60
Legal, 5Medical, 17
Mental Health, 3
Other, 17
School Needs, 102
Texas Benefit Bank, 8
Transportation 62
Utility, 30
• Total of students: 582
- 439 Female
- 143 Male
• 54.68% Retention Rate
• 34.41% Persistence Rate
• 21.51% Graduation Rate
2014
Total of funds distributed: $20,612.74
Adult Students Program
Referral, 94
Amarillo College Foundation , 7
Career, 76
Childcare, 29
Clothing, 9
Financial Aid, 55
Food, 87
Housing, 110
Legal, 3Medical, 29
Mental Health, 60
Money Management, 9
Other, 60
School Needs, 172
Texas Benefit Bank, 5
Transportation (Emergency
Gas Cards, Bus Tickets & Taxi Vouchers), 129
Utility, 49
Women in Philanthropy
Grant Funds, 23
o 2012 o 39 campus & community
vendorso 200 students signed up for
the door prize raffle
o 2013o 39 campus & community
vendorso 202 students signed up for
the door prize raffle
o 2014o 48 campus & community
vendorso 229 students signed up for
the door prize raffle
ANNUAL RESOURCE FAIR
WEST TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY INTERNS
o Fall 2012
o Approached by WTAMU to become a field placement site for WTAMU
Undergraduate students
o Spring 2013
o First BSW student
o Spring 2015
o First MSW student
o Since the Fall of 2012 we have been a field placement site for 8 WTAMU
Social Work students
o Fall 2015
oNydia S.
AMARILLO COLLEGE’S PRESIDENT,
DR. RUSSELL LOWERY-HART
CONTACT INFORMATION
Cara Crowley
Chief of Staff
Amarillo College
PO Box 447
Amarillo, TX 79178
(806) 345-5518
CONTACT INFORMATION
Lynae Latham Jacob
Amarillo College
Department Chair Speech Communications
806-371-5343
CONTACT INFORMATION
Jordan Herrera, LMSW
Amarillo College
Washington Street Campus
Student Service Center, Room 121
Phone: 371-5439
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.actx.edu/socialservices