FYIT
Foster Youth and Higher Education Initiative
Foster Youth and Higher Education Initiative
About the initiative at WMU
In April 2007 Western Michigan University joined more than twenty other Michigan colleges and universities at the Foster Care – Higher Education Summit, co-sponsored by the Michigan Campus Compact and the Department of Human Services. The purpose of the meeting was to share information and begin post-secondary educational planning for youth formerly in foster care in Michigan who have aged out of the system. Planning for the WMU Foster Youth & Higher Education Initiative began in the months following the initial summit meeting, but accelerated during the fall, 2007 semester after the planning team received support from WMU’s President, Dr. John Dunn, to move forward with planning efforts.
The overall goal of the WMU Foster Youth & Higher Education Initiative is to increase opportunities for foster youth to pursue higher education and to provide supports that promote success and well-being throughout the undergraduate experience at WMU. The initiative aims to create a community of scholars among WMU students who “aged out” of the foster care system. More than providing these students with an undergraduate education, we are developing a strategy to help former foster youth transition into adulthood through the experience of higher education.
Components of the initiative
The Foster Youth & Higher Education Initiative is a comprehensive effort that involves multiple partnerships across departments and units within our campus community, and between WMU and other community constituents, such as child welfare agencies and local colleges. The initiative has three major components that include:
1. Student Outreach and Recruitment
The WMU Foster Youth & Higher Education Initiative will specifically target and encourage youth who are aging out of foster care to apply to WMU as freshmen or transfer students. We want foster youth who qualify for university-level education to consider WMU as their first choice for higher education. To attract these students to our campus, we have several strategies planned, including but not limited to: marketing the WMU Foster Youth & Higher Education Initiative to middle schools, high schools, foster care agencies, and foster parent associations; offering adult assistance to help youth needing help with admissions and financial aid forms; and, partnering with Kalamazoo Valley Community College (KVCC) to facilitate transfer of students to WMU. Beginning fall 2008, WMU will begin offering incoming freshmen the John Seita Scholarship, which waives tuition fees so long as students live on our campus. Placement instability, or moving from foster home to foster home, is a problem in the foster care system. On-campus housing will be available at WMU throughout the year and on breaks to provide students with a choice for housing stability throughout their undergraduate education at WMU.
2. Student Retention
The WMU Foster Youth & Higher Education Initiative is designed to send foster youth the message that they are welcome on campus and to promote a sense of belonging that is sometimes absent in the foster care system. Financial obstacles that often prevent foster youth from continuing their higher education will be lessened by offering the John Seita Scholarship on a renewable basis for each year of undergraduate study so long as students continue to live on campus and meet basic requirements. In addition, work-study opportunities will be available on campus. The security of stable year-round on-campus housing will eliminate the worry of homelessness that former foster youth often experience when residence halls are closed during school breaks. Several campus departments will collaborate to provide services to WMU’s Seita Scholars, including supports such as mentoring, academic tutoring, student networking, counseling and other student and academic support services. In addition, this cohort of students may need additional help in catching up with life skills such as banking, budgeting, and time management.
3. Student Career Planning
The WMU Foster Youth & Higher Education Initiative is not only concerned about the success of former foster youths at school but also in preparing youth to move on from school after graduation. Since these youth do not have the opportunity to “move back home” while considering career options, efforts toward career planning will begin early in their academic careers. Plans are underway to develop a first year experience course (FYE) for Seita scholars. In addition, mentoring and social networking activities will be planned for them.