21 April 2011
This February, the Grand Haven Area Community Foundation learned that it had received a $50,000 challenge grant from the Kresge Foundation to support the efforts of the newly formed Tri-Cities College Access Network. The goal of the network, which has engaged the leadership of the local school districts, community leaders, and area colleges, is to dramatically increase the number of Tri-Cities residents who have a college degree or post-secondary certificate.
In Ottawa County, only 27% of residents currently have a B.A. degree. In Michigan, the number is 24%, making Michigan the 34th lowest state in the nation for educational attainment.
A college graduate is expected to earn $2.1 million over their lifetime, almost double the lifetime earnings of $1.2 million for a high school graduate.
"The College Access Network has been meeting since last October to develop a plan to improve those numbers," said Ann Tabor, President of the Community Foundation. "We want the Tri-Cities to lead the state in the number of college-educated citizens. With two of the state’s outstanding school systems, Grand Haven and Spring Lake, we believe this is achievable."
"This effort is more than a school initiative. It really is a community-wide effort," said Joy Gaasch, President of The Chamber. "Statistics show that educational attainment is directly related to the economic health of a community," she added citing a recent article in MIBIZ that quoted Carol Coletta, CEO of CEOs for Cities who said if we could find a way to increase the number of four-year [college] degree holders by just 1 percent, the personal income generated in the area would increase by $1 billion annually.
"We want everyone in our community – from newborns to senior citizens - to recognize the importance of post-secondary education, have the opportunities to prepare for, enter, and succeed in achieving those credentials," said Keith Konarska, Superintendent of Grand Haven Area Public Schools.
"We are so pleased that the Community Foundation has taken the lead to focus community attention on the issue of educational attainment," said Dennis Furton, Superintendent of Spring Lake Public Schools. "With the two school systems, the Ottawa Area Intermediate School District, the business and nonprofit community, along with our area colleges and universities, together at the table, we have the energy and resources to make a change in our community."
Article Source: Grand Haven Area Community Foundation newsletter