Decision Day 2011: Let the celebrations begin!

 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 DECISION DAY 2011: Celebrating the Futures of High School Seniors Across the U.S.

 Chapel Hill, NC, April 1, 2011 – In celebration of Decision Day, college advisers with the National College Advising Corps will host various events and activities across the country between April 27 and May 29, 2011.  Decision Day is the day high school seniors make the decision about their post-secondary education or training plans.

“Decision Day is a great way for schools and communities to celebrate the future of its senior class,” says Nicole Hurd, PhD, Founder and Executive Director of the Advising Corps.  “The purpose of this event is to promote the accomplishments of our high school seniors and to launch them on a path to degree attainment and life-long success.  The Advising Corps is delighted to see students pursue higher education and we applaud them for the choices they make.”

In support of President Obama’s goal that “every American pursue some form of education beyond high school,” Decision Day events are held to praise students’ success and their commitment to post-secondary education or training, while supporting the development of a college-going culture among younger students within the high school.

Seniors are encouraged to wear t-shirts promoting the college they choose to attend or branch of the military they will join, and advisers, faculty and staff from the high school are asked to wear apparel from their alma maters.

The National College Advising Corps, with headquarters at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, is an innovative program that works to increase the number of low-income, first-generation-college, underrepresented students who enter and complete higher education.  Through a nationwide consortium of colleges and universities, recent graduates of partner colleges and universities are hired, trained and placed as full-time college advisers in underserved high schools throughout the US.  The Advising Corps serves communities across the country to provide the guidance and encouragement that many students need to navigate the complex web of college admissions and secure financial aid.

To date, the Advising Corps has served more than 112,000 students since its inception in 2004.  In school year 2010-2011, 175 advisers representing 14 institutions of higher education will reach over 65,000 students in 219 high schools.

Current partner institutions of higher education include: Brown University; Franklin + Marshall College; Pennsylvania State University; Tufts University; University of Alabama; University of California at Berkeley; University of Georgia; University of Illinois; University of Michigan; University of Missouri at Columbia; University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; University of Texas at Austin; University of Utah; and University of Virginia; as well as a program in the State of Alaska.

For more information regarding a specific high school or activities within a specific state, or for general information about the Advising Corps, contact Mia Xavier at mmxavier@admissions.unc.edu or 919.962.5324 or visit our website at www.advisingcorps.org.

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