South Carolina Gear Up
Weekly Memo 8/18 - 8/24
Back in Business
Budgets
First, as a heads up, I sent an email to each of our partnering institutions last week asking for changes to your budgets, and reminding them to do your evaluations if they haven't already. They may be coming to you on these items in the next few days.
Now as most of you saw in my email from last week, I thought the budget suggestions for the most part were kind of weak. We just sent 60+ people to a National Conference to gather ideas and connect with other GEAR UP Programs. There were tons of sessions and exhibitors, but nobody saw anything they liked and wanted to try here in SC????
I'm gonna need to rethink conference attendance if nobody is going to bring anything new back. Sooo...what I need now from each school / attendee who went to the conference is a minimum of 2 initiatives that they are NOT currently doing, but would like to see done in their school. In our very own Grant, we have 3 initiatives that the group may or may not know about with: a Peer Mentoring Program in Region 1, a Texas Instrument Calculator Project in Region 2, a Parent Services Committee in Region 3 and a Technology Institute in Region 4. Are these things that you may want to see instituted in your region? Do we need to set aside time for you to show the other schools what's going on in your region?
(I want you and/or the coaches to bring the initiatives to the GC meeting next week. Speaking of which...)
Graduation Coach Meeting
The GC meeting will be held on Wednesday, August 27th, 2014 at FMU, Erving Dining Hall. Please remind your coaches that the meeting is mandatory. We will present awards at the GC meeting for two areas: 1) The GC with the highest percentage of students passing Algebra 1 prior to the Summer and 2) The GC with the highest volunteer/in-kind contributions.
Based on your feedback last week, we will present 1 winner in both categories for each Region, and then have an overall winner in both areas for the entire Grant. We will still also be providing each of the coaches with a small token of our appreciation. I'm hoping this serves as a way to 1) inject some fun and excitement back into the group and 2) generate a little bit of pride and competition (healthy, I hope). Vermadel, can you confirm for me the winners in Category 1 early this week? Cynthia and Sherry, can you give me the names of the winners in Category 2 early this week?
Now, to the part I'm sure you're all anxious about. I've been working on the agenda, and I think the RC's can be excused from presenting THIS time. If you're just dying to do a presentation then let me know and I'll rework it, but we have a full agenda already so unless you just feel the itch go present, you guys won't have to. BUUTTT that means I expect you to be heavily involved in asking/answering questions concerns in your regions.
I'll send out the agenda in a separate email for you. Feedback and corrections are always appreciated.
You're Welcome.
Retreat
As far as I know, we're still having the retreat on Tuesday August 26, 2014. However, due to the Cottage at FMU double-booking us, our location will change. FMU is helping us find another space on campus. As soon as I get that, I will let everyone, including the speakers know. As of now, no times have changed. Still 10-3ish.
There is no meeting on August 20th.
Finance Updates
The deadline for all Quarter 3 invoices was this past Friday, August 15th, 2014. I am all about relationships, as most of you know. However, there will eventually come a point in time where the amount of an invoice becomes a red flag in DC. I am not interested in creating an audit for myself simply not to make a school mad. Let's be sure we get these invoices in folks.
Also, when you get the invoices, I need two things to happen:
1) I need you to review them thoroughly. I'm getting invoices with things on their that Vickie is having to investigate further. This not only slows down our process, but it takes her away from other things that she should be doing.
2) Try not to hold an invoice for longer than 3 business days at latest. I want to be able to say that neither CHE or the RC is the hold-up in paying the school.
College Access Updates
1. College Application Month materials have gone out to all schools who registered by the deadline. The counselors at our schools should be on the lookout for their boxes if they haven’t already received them. We currently have 208 registered College Application Month schools, including 20 of our 21 GEAR UP High schools – great work! I even had one school sign up who previously indicated that they would not. Now, the only outlier left is Dillon High, who has committed to do an event, but hasn't selected a date.
2. CACRAO /college reps are currently registering for College Application Month dates – each high school will receive an updated list of registered college attendees and wavier information by September 2, 2014. (the 1st is a holiday). I expect RCC and GC assistance at all SC GEAR UP High schools for their CAM events. Catherine, Vickie, Karen and I will also be at SC GEAR UP schools for those events as well. Please have the GC’s contact the counselors to see how they can assist with these events. I'll give you dates of your CAM events shortly if you don't have them.
3. The Collaborative Counselor Training Initiative (CCTI) will open up registration to all GEAR UP educators starting September 8th. You will be able to register for Module 3: Financial Aid and the College Admissions Process via www.SCCANGO starting on September 8, 2014. Please remember that this is now primarily GEAR UP project and we are reserving spaces for our GEAR UP educators. We want to see them take advantage of these certification courses. Please spread the word in your schools.
4. PICTURES, PICTURES, PICTURES! We are going to push social media and the image of SC GEAR UP in a big way this year. The SC GEAR UP website is being revamped. The SC CAN GO website is going to have SC GEAR UP Bloggers quarterly, and we are developing Facebook and Twitter accounts this year for SC GEAR UP. I need two things to happen fairly quickly a) I need every SC GEAR UP event to have pictures accompanying it (especially National GEAR UP Week). Have the GC's send Vickie and Catherine lots of pics. This means the releases need to be current, and b) I want to push following SC GEAR UP on Twitter and Facebook once they're set up. While it can't be required to follow/like us, I need it to be encouraged.
National GEAR UP Week!!!
Monday, Sep 22, 2014, 12:00 AM
South Carolina, United States
SC GEAR UP / SC Commission on Higher Education
Email: ghampton@che.sc.gov
Website: www.scgearup.edu
Location: 1122 Lady Street, Columbia, SC, United States
Phone: (803) 734-4397