Coaches help struggling college students succeed

From The Columbus Dispatch (online)

By: Encarnita Pyle

Columbus State Community College will be one of 10 Ohio two-year schools to have coaches on hand to help first-time students enrolled in a remedial course plan their studies so they eventually earn a certificate or degree.

“These coaches will provide their students with the support needed to create their educational completion plan, and then mentor them through challenges they may encounter as they move ahead through their plan,” Ronald Abrams, president of the Ohio Association of Community Colleges, said in a written statement.

It’s all a part of the AmeriCorps College Completion Coaches Initiative, a partnership between OACC, the Ohio College Access Network and ServeOhio. Community college graduates will serve as the coaches. For their 11-month service, the graduates will receive a roughly $12,000 living allowance and a $5,500 education award to help pay their own college debt.

The coaches will each serve about 100 students. Their first task will be to help the students complete their developmental education so that they are ready for college-level courses that count toward their degree. Remedial classes cost as much as other college courses but don’t count toward a degree. They also increase the time it takes to obtain a degree and the likelihood that a student will drop out.
“We know that with proper support, students will graduate from college at a higher rate and add to the talent pool Ohio’s workforce needs for a successful economy,’ said Reginald Wilkinson, president & CEO of the Ohio College Access Network.
They’ll also save time and money, added William Hall, executive director of ServeOhio.

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