| Overall Rating | Silver - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 51.85 |
| Liaison | Tara Pike |
| Submission Date | June 17, 2011 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
University of Nevada Las Vegas
PAE-10: Affordability and Access Programs
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
3.00 / 3.00 |
Jose
Melendrez Assistant Vice President for Diversity & Inclusion VP, Diversity & Inclusion |
Does the institution have policies and programs in place to make it accessible and affordable to low-income students?:
A brief description of the institution’s participation in federal TRIO programs:
The Center for Academic Enrichment and Outreach provides leadership for the TRIO programs and services. The mission is to provide traditional and innovative educational opportunities to a diverse community through targeted services and research that promote personal success. TRIO program include Educational Talent Search, Upward Bound, and Upward Bound Math and Science. Other TRIO services include Student Support Services and McNair Scholar Program.
A brief description of the institution’s policies and programs to minimize the cost of attendance for low-income students?:
The Enrollment & Student Services (ESS) working group is comprised of numerous stakeholders on campus, including the Director of Admissions, Director of the Registrar, the Associate VP of Enrollment Services, VP of Student Affairs, Institutional Planning & Research, the Bursar, Provost, Office of Information & Technology, academic advisers, and various deans.
The group meets regularly and continually discusses strategies from which to achieve short and long term enrollment and retention goals. The primary goal of this group is to provide equal access and ensure affordability to students across the income spectrum.
A brief description of the institution’s programs to equip the institution's faculty and staff to better serve students from low-income backgrounds:
Current and past efforts to support faculty and staff include programs, services and campus activities like the the Research Center for Social Justice and Diversity Training, Multicultural Center Identity Month educational programming that include the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr and Dolores Huerta Leadership Forums hosted out of the office of the Vice President for Diversity & Inclusion.
Diversity and Inclusion also maintains year round efforts in collaboration with Student Affairs to support leadership and scholarship program in partnership with the Asian, Latin and Urban Chambers of Commerce.
The Office of Civic Engagement and Diversity provides year round programs and services through SODA, the Leadership Minor and the Festival Of Communities program. Recently the UNLV Service Learning initiatives set into motion.
A brief description of the institution’s programs to prepare students from low-income backgrounds for higher education:
The Center Academic Enrichment and Outreach provides critical services through the GEAR up. The Office of the VP for Diversity and Inclusion through a Go To College Nevada.Org grant in collaboration with the Latin Chamber of Commerce Community Foundation and the Clark County School District provide educational programing and advocacy for understanding how higher ed works in Nevada. Information presented includes admissions, access and financial aid. There is also a key parental engagement program.
A brief description of the institution's scholarships for low-income students:
Many, though not all, scholarships available to students have a requirement component based on financial need, as determined by Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
Scholarships are awarded by UNLV or by private donors based on a variety of criteria established by the scholarship donor and/or the Nevada Board of Regents. In general, the Office of Enrollment & Student Services (ESS) encourages needs-based as well as merit components.
The following are two examples of such programs:
1) The UNLV Grant
One program in particular, the UNLV Grant, is very successful in ensuring that low-income students have equal and affordable access to higher education.
Pell Grants tend to be awarded in higher amounts as the Expected Financial Contribution (EFC) of a student's family decreases. The UNLV Grant helps shore up the gap that may emerge between the amount of a Pell Grant and the total cost of tuition.
To learn more about the UNLV Grant, and other state programs as well, please see:
http://finaid.unlv.edu/scholarships-grants/grants/nevada.html
http://finaid.unlv.edu/scholarships-grants/scholarships/provost.html
2) Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG)
While various higher educational institutions manage this grant differently, UNLV allocates SEOG funds to students with an Expected Family Contribution (EFC) of $0. The amount of this grant is usually approximately $500 and is based on annual allocations from Department of Education.
A brief description of the institution’s programs to guide parents of low-income students through the higher education experience:
The UNLV L.E.A.D.S.S. initiative is a grant funded project from the Go To College Nevada.Org program. LEADSS provides educational programming with a focus on parental engagement. The LEADSS initiatives is a partnership program between UNLV Office of the VP for Diversity and Inclusion, The Latin Chamber of Commerce and the Clark County School District.
A brief description of the institution’s targeted outreach to recruit students from low-income backgrounds:
The Office of the Vice President for Diversity & Inclusion (OVPDI) works in collaboration with the Asian, Latin and Urban chambers targeting specific student population. OVPDI also works with the Clark County School District in support of special family focused initiatives like the Family Enrichment Program.
A brief description of the institution’s other admissions policies and programs:
In the recognition that innovative media may achieve additional value in outreach to today's students, Enrollment and Student Services strives to deliver its message through increasingly diverse channels. Two specific programs are:
1) Financial aid searchable scholarship database
http://financialaid.unlv.edu/apps/ScholarshipSearch/index.asp
2) UNLV Financial Aid TV
http://unlv.financialaidtv.com/
Some videos on UNLV Financial Aid TV are available in Spanish as well as English.
UNLV is the school in the Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE) to include Financial Aid TV.
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Both strategies employ a tech-savvy approach to deliver information to current and prospective students. To learn more, please see:
A brief description of the institution’s other financial aid polices or programs:
1) Kenny Guinn Millenium Scholarship
In 1999, Governor Kenny Guinn enacted into law the Governor Guinn Millennium Scholarship Program. There is no application to be considered for this program. The school district submits the student's name and high school courses completed to the Nevada State Treasurer's Office to determine eligibility for the program.
To learn more, please see:
http://finaid.unlv.edu/scholarships-grants/scholarships/millennium.html
2) Western Undergraduate Exchange Scholarship
The UNLV Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) scholarship may be offered to students from the most recent high school graduating class residing in one of the following states: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington or Wyoming.
The WUE program is highly competitive. Awards offered to the entering UNLV freshmen class may vary each year based upon the number of graduating college seniors and currently enrolled students who are unable to meet the renewal criteria. Students from the most recent graduating high school class, who demonstrate the strongest academic qualifications and entering UNLV for the upcoming fall semester are considered for this scholarship.
To learn more, please see:
http://finaid.unlv.edu/scholarships-grants/scholarships/wue.html
3) The Financial Aid Office also considers students in situations of unusual financial circumstances in order to determine if additional financial aid eligibility can be established.
A brief description of the institution’s other policies and programs not covered above:
Nevada System of Higher Education creates the opportunity for schools to use a portion of the financial aid dollars allocated from student fees to need based work programs along with any scholarship/grant programs in order to provide students an opportunity to reduce student loan debt burden and provide valuable workplace experience.
To learn more, please see:
The website URL where information about programs in each of the areas listed above is available:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.