Ohio College Access Network

Economic Viability Through College Attainment

2100 Stella Court
Columbus, Ohio, 43215
614.947.3505

About the Ohio College Access Network

Background
The Ohio College Access Network is a member-based organization, much like an association, whose members are non-profits, businesses, institutions of higher education, P16/P20 initiatives, Educational Service Centers, County OSU Extension offices and more, that support or provide direct service to help increase the state's college attainment.
 
The Ohio College Access Network was established in 1999 in order to proactively coordinate, amplify, and replicate the efforts of 11 college access organizations throughout the state of Ohio that provided (and still do!) motivation, counsel, and support for students to aspire to and attain post secondary education. The concept was to design the framework for a robust, statewide, network of college access organizations who would work toward a shared goal of increasing Ohio's college attainment. Today, the Network is 80 members and counting, with 40 direct service organizations leading the charge in methods and programming designed to increase the college aspirations, readiness, and success of Ohio's students.

Mission
The OCAN headquarters provides advocacy and support for members of the network by building partnerships with national, state, and local entities to increase capacity and strengthen the network of innovative programs in order to increase the number of individuals who access and complete a post-secondary education.

Where we've been, and where we're going:

Over the past decade, Ohio's network of college access practitioners and supporters has been united, supported, and expanded through the efforts of the statewide coordination of OCAN. Moving forward, Ohio's college access network will be characterized and guided by strong and effective collaboration across the network, ownership of and active roles among members and the OCAN staff in Cleveland and Columbus, in the shared mission to increase college attainment and success in Ohio.

The priorities of OCAN's headquarters are to:

1)
actively listen to the student position and provide a platform for the student voice to be heard, both through their own voices and the advocacy of OCAN

2) provide the tools and partnerships necessary to track and articulate the statistical linkage between college access services and workforce and economic outcomes; and

3) identify, promote and utilize initiatives that are effective in streamlining and supporting workforce entry, ultimately to create economic opportunity through college completion.

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