College Initiative Upstate Student Support

College Initiative Upstate, a program of OAR of Tompkins County, has a mission to promote economic security and stability, civic participation, leadership, and long-term success for formerly incarcerated people and their families through elimination of individual and structural barriers to higher education. 

The work of College Initiative Upstate (CIU) is ongoing. During the Fall of 2016, 17 students began the semester (at Tompkins Cortland Community College and SUNY Empire State College). This is an exceptional achievement given the fact that most CIU students struggles with hard core issues including poverty, housing and sobriety, and 92% of CIU students completed a GED or TASC degree (high school equivalencies) instead of a High School Diploma. 

For Spring 2017, CIU students enrollment is at 16 with 25-35 students expected to enroll for Summer and Fall 2017. 

CIU support leads to enrollment: practical guidance and advocacy for students (many of whom who have myriad of outstanding financial as well as academic issues to resolve prior to enrollment, and material support such as donations for Chrome Books and text book stipends are the deciding factor regarding college enrollment. Almost every student has articulated that (s)he could not have navigated the application and financial aid process alone. http://ciutompkins.org