Sixty by 30 Program Administration

This initiative aims to target prospective students aged 21-24 who previously applied to a community college but never enrolled – a population group that has shown clear interest in taking college classes but, for various reasons, has not taken steps to enroll. These prospective students will be contacted through a calling campaign driven by vendor Student Connections to encourage them to take the next step in their education, complete the Michigan Reconnect Age Expansion application, and enroll at their community college. Student Connections estimates they can contact over 16,000 prospective students during their campaign. Community colleges will be required to “opt-in” to this initiative; by opting in, colleges agree to identify eligible students and provide student lists to Student Connections for contact during their calling campaign. Student Connections will also connect highly motivated students with Michigan Reconnect Student Navigators, who can ensure these students receive the personalized support they need to enroll successfully by Fall 2024.

This initiative recognizes that we must conduct outreach to new students aged 21-24 who have never applied to college to meet our Reconnect Age Expansion application goals. Talent First has been a pivotal partner in achieving this goal. Talent First will utilize proprietary student data lists to identify students across the State who have shown a high propensity to return to school. Talent First will tap into multiple digital and social media platforms – including Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, and YouTube – to create personalized messaging for identified students, encouraging them to return to school and take advantage of the Reconnect Age Expansion program before the November 15 deadline arrives. Talent First estimates over 219,000 students will be contacted through this campaign.

Early on, the Office of Sixty by 30 noted that engaging employers in this program expansion could have a multitude of benefits: both short-term (increasing Age Expansion applications) and long-term (building strong partnerships with our office). It was clear that Michigan Works, specifically, could play a crucial partner in achieving those objectives, based on their position within local communities and broader network across the State. Through a policy issuance, Michigan Works received over $400,000 to equitably distribute across their 16 offices State-wide and fund various activities that can grow employee interest in pursuing Reconnect, such as presentations to human resources staff at local employers, development of materials on college programs specific to the employer, one-on-one consultations with employers to develop education-friendly policies, and more. We are excited to see the ripple effect that this initiative will have more broadly within our communities and workplaces.

Michigan Reconnect Targeted Outreach Policy

iling the FAFSA has always been a challenge for college-going students; we see this challenge has intensified this year due to the roll-out of the Better FAFSA Form. The Office of Sixty by 30 quickly identified that additional FAFSA support was essential for more students to complete the FAFSA and participate in the Michigan Reconnect Age Expansion program. Through a partnership with the Michigan College Access Network (MCAN), MCAN has created a FAFSA Counselor Corps, called REFS (Retired Educator FAFSA Specialists), to provide one-on-one, in-person support to students to complete the 2023-2024 FAFSA. MCAN has the goal of hiring 25 FAFSA REFS across the State of Michigan to meet the needs of all students.

• Requests for a REF
• One-Pager

The non-profit awareness campaign was designed to create greater awareness of the Michigan Reconnect Age Expansion through local Michigan communities. To achieve this, the Office of Sixty by 30 awarded funds to the Michigan College Access Network (MCAN), who consequently aimed to award $10,000 subgrants to 20 organizations. Selected organizations were tasked with raising awareness of the Michigan Reconnect Age Expansion program through door-to-door advertising, printing marketing materials to share within communities, email and texting campaigns, and attendance at community functions that serve community members.

MCAN Campaign Grants Resource

This initiative focuses specifically on supporting stop-out students, age 18-24, at community colleges across the State. By providing frequent and personalized coaching services to stop out students, students can develop the skills, confidence, and behaviors to re-enroll, persist, and complete their degrees. The Office of Sixty by 30 is thrilled to partner with ReUp Education for this initiative, who has demonstrated a research-driven, comprehensive approach to supporting stop-out students in achieving their educational goals. ReUp will partner with 15 colleges in Michigan, covering all regions and size of community colleges across the State.

• ReUp’s website
• ReUp one-pager
• Overview/Informational webinar
• Data SME webinar

This initiative was designed to support community colleges in creating, developing, or improving practices that foster student success and increase completion rates. Through this initiative, two selected non-profits – Talent First’s Michigan Center for Adult College Success and the Michigan Community College Association (MCCA) – are tasked with providing additional infrastructure and support to community college in order to expand and enhance initiatives that increase graduation rates for students participating in the Michigan Reconnect Age Expansion program. We believe Talent First’s MI-LEARN Design Lab (which will assist institutions in implementing promising practices, such as flexible course scheduling formats, use of student success dashboard to inform policy, etc.) and MCCA’s student completion support and communication strategies (including helping colleges to advertise the Michigan Reconnect Age Expansion program, encouraging more students to submit Michigan Reconnect Age Expansion applications, and supporting students in completing their chosen degree or certificate) will improve student outcomes at community colleges across the State of Michigan.