Symposium will provide "best practices" for college access
Governor Heineman will kick off April 3 event

(Lincoln, Nebraska, March 26, 2008) – Governor Dave Heineman will kick off a day-long College Access Symposium in Lincoln April 3. EducationQuest Foundation is conducting the Symposium for high school guidance counselors and educators from across the state.

The Symposium, which is provided at no cost to attendees, will be held at the BryanLGH East Conference Center. It will provide best practices schools can implement to increase the number of students who go to college. The practices are based on the four steps of the KnowHow2GO college access campaign that EducationQuest is coordinating in Nebraska.

Governor Heineman will talk to attendees about the importance of increasing the state's college-going rate. Dr. Ann Coles, Senior Advisor for College Access Programs at The Education Resource Institute in Boston, will serve as luncheon speaker addressing the topic of "supporting college aspirations."

The Symposium will end with a session on the EducationQuest College Access Grants Program. Through a competitive review process, EducationQuest will award $800,000 in multi-year grants this summer to 15 Nebraska high schools to fund college-access programs and activities.

EducationQuest Foundation is a private, nonprofit organization with a mission to improve access to higher education in Nebraska. Headquartered in Lincoln, EducationQuest provides free college planning services; funds need-based scholarship programs; provides grants that help high schools increase their college-going rate; and provides outreach services for community agencies statewide. For more information, call 800.303.3745 or visit www.educationquest.org.