Overview

The College Access Challenge Grant (CACG) is a federally-funded formula grant program designed to increase the number of low-income students who are prepared to enroll and succeed in postsecondary education.  As part of this effort, WICHE is working with state partners through two mechanisms:  the CACG Consortium and the CACG Network. While the level of WICHE-related services differ, both options allow CACG states the opportunity to learn from each other, share best practices and lessons learned, and receive current evidence-based research.

 

 CACG NETWORK MEETING -- "New Beginnings: Next Steps for College Access"

The most recent CACG Network took place June 14-15 in Boulder, Colorado. Click here to view the agenda and presentations. 

 

“FOSTERING A COLLEGE GOING CULTURE: STATE CACG EFFORTS”

This session has been accepted for inclusion at this year’s National College Access Network’s (NCAN) Annual Conference. Over the past two years, Alaska and Nevada, with the assistance of  WICHE and key state partners, have respectively developed and implemented a peer mentor program and a public information campaign intended to increase college awareness and participation in two states with historically low rates of access and completion. During the session, CACG project directors from both states will highlight the challenges, accomplishments, and lessons learned from their programs. Additional resources of interest to policymakers and practitioners will also be discussed, including WICHE’s State Policy Inventory Database Online (SPIDO), the nation’s only searchable database of higher education policies related to college access and success.

CACG Consortium

The CACG Consortium is comprised of Alaska and Nevada. WICHE-related services to the Consortium states include grant development and management, program implementation and evaluation, and ongoing expert consultation and guidance. Consortium states are also members of the CACG Network.

 

CACG Network

In the CACG Network, WICHE is working with the two Consortium states, plus North Dakota and Washington, to provide a forum in which staff involved in developing, implementing, and maintaining state CACG efforts can share and discuss issues related to the administration of their programs. Through two Network meetings and an interactive website, state leaders and policymakers share promising practices, lessons learned, common challenges, and the latest research.