As the pandemic continues to deepen inequities in our country, college enrollments are trending downward among first-time, first-generation college students from low-income households and underrepresented backgrounds. While families across the state struggle with the challenges brought about by COVID-19, the State University of New York (SUNY) is offering extra support to students to submit their college applications this year.

SUNY recently launched the 'Big Dreams, Small Step' campaign to provide assistance to high school students who are at risk of being left behind this year — and who stand to benefit the most from a college degree. This new campaign builds on the 'SUNY For All' initiative, which aims to broaden access to the country's largest system of public higher education for learners at every stage of life.

We know that a college degree has the ability to change the trajectory of one's life and improve career success. However, even before the pandemic, students from low-income households or those from underrepresented groups had just a 10-25 percent chance of earning a degree. The 'Big Dreams, Small Step' initiative will provide additional support, resources, and guidance to help students navigate the admissions process this year.

Support options include:

Designated Application Weeks featuring individual appointments and personal support on the SUNY application (including assistance on how to apply to SUNY's Educational Opportunity Program). The first of these is next week, March 15-19.

• Application fee waivers for eligible students, potentially adding up to $350 in savings when applying to multiple schools
• SUNY's 'personalized support service' expansion to help applicants complete an application fee waiver and secure the endorsement of their high school counselor remotely
• Enhanced 'College Advisor of the Day' programming, where high school students can book a focused, one-on-one conversation about SUNY's offerings and the application process
• Immediate, easy-to-follow guidance on applying to SUNY and where to get help

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Utica College Raise Me Scholarships:

We are excited to let you know that Utica College has partnered with RaiseMe! As you may already know, RaiseMe is an online platform for 9th-11th grade students to earn money for college. As the college search season is well underway, we wanted to encourage you to share this news with your students.

Through RaiseMe, your students can earn “micro-scholarships” (performance-based scholarships) from Utica College and nearly 300 other colleges for their high school achievements, beginning in 9th grade. Students can earn for A’s, community service, extra-curricular activities, and everything in between. Specifically, students can earn the following through Utica College’s micro-scholarship program with RaiseMe:

●    $80 for each A in a Core course
●    $40 for each extracurricular activity per school year
●    $4 for every hour of community service
●    $500 for a campus visit to Utica College
●    Up to $40 for each Honors, Advanced, College Level, Pre-AP or Pre-IB course
 
Thousands of counselors are using this free program to motivate students early, improve outcomes, and reinforce the guidance they’re already giving. RaiseMe can help your students get a head start on their college search, and develop into stronger applicants. Help your students get started at Raise Me website.

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The Director of Selective Service would like to remind all men they need to register with the Selective Service.

To help register you will need to go to SSS.gov.  You can pre register at 17 years and 3 months of age until you reach 18 years of age.

SSS.gov  (Selective Service Registration )