Project Faith - (FBEOI) Faith Based Educational Opportunity Initiative

The goal of this proposed program is to encourage higher levels of access, persistence, and completion of graduation requirements for transfer to higher education through a deliberate partnership with five faith-based organizations located throughout the HCC district.

Problem: HCC enrollment figures have been flat for the past several years. In order to reach students that are not being touched by HCC marketing and outreach, we must go into local neighborhoods that have low college-going rates. It is physically impossible to create new HCC outreach offices in these under-served areas, being limited by both funds and manpower.

Description: We propose to implement the HCC Faith-Based Education Opportunity Initiative. This program would be managed by full-time HCC employees that will be working Saturdays and Sundays with five specific faith-based organizations throughout the HCC district. Each faith-based agency would have one appointed College Opportunity Coordinator, who would work with program staff to host college-going events for both their congregants and the general residents who live in the communities where the churches are located. Services will include career counseling, financial aid counseling, and meetings with parents about the importance of a college education.

Activities and Outcomes: Services will be provided to hundreds of parents and students in grades 8 - 12.

Innovation: This cost-effective recruiting program will reach an entirely new group of parents and prospective students. Programs such as this across the country have been successfully and widely received, and we believe that by bringing this innovative approach to outreach and enrollment, we will increase enrollment figures each year.