Skyline College Awarded Grant to Help Increase Student Retention

Skyline College is one of 6 colleges nationwide awarded a three-year Benefits Access for College Completion (BACC) grant to pilot a program designed to connect students with public benefits in order increase retention and student success.  Together with the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) and the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), Skyline College will implement one of several models being tested in the BACC Initiative to serve approximately 1,700 students who demonstrate significant financial need.

Low-income students now make up 40 percent of the student population. BACC will connect these students to coordinated income supports including Medi-Cal and food assistance. The initiative will be evaluated to determine if low-income students who receive coordinated income support stay in school longer and complete their studies more quickly. Public supports and refundable tax credits can help low-income students bridge the gap between financial aid and the resources needed to attend college. The initiative’s aim is to help students complete their studies swiftly, successfully and into jobs earning family-sustaining wages so they will be less likely to need such supports in the future.

The three-year $4.84 million initiative is funded by the Ford Foundation, Kresge Foundation, Lumina Foundation, and the Open Society Foundations. The Annie E. Casey Foundation is also contributing to the initiative.  SparkPoint at Skyline College will lead the initiative and integrate efforts throughout departments within the college such as Enrollment Services, General Counseling, Extended Opportunities Programs & Services (EOPS), Disability Support Programs & Services (DSPS), CalWORKS, Health and Psychological Services, Career Services and Transfer Services, TRIO Program, and the multiple learning communities, which are so prevalent at the college.

“The BACC grant is an exciting opportunity for Skyline College to pilot efforts for colleges nationwide in fully resourcing students.  The innovative initiative will assist students in completion with the goal of guiding students on a path toward long term self-sufficiency.  The BAAC grant will bring us one step closer to fulfilling our mission of empowering and transforming a global community of learners,” Skyline College President Regina Stanback Stroud said.