Northern Oklahoma College held its first annual ‘Access to Success’ in the Cultural Engagement Center at NOC Tonkawa on Tuesday.
Over 40 Native American high school students attended the four-hour session to learn about NOC. Students from Tonkawa, Pawnee, Pawhuska, Enid, Frontier, Shidler, and Crescent attended the event.
During the session, Vice President for Enrollment Management Dr. Rick Edgington showed students how to apply to NOC. Students also learned about concurrent enrollment for high school juniors and seniors.
Dr. Edgington also asked students to fill out a worksheet showing students how the cost of college can be negated by grant and scholarship opportunities.
Students asked questions to three panelists including NOC adjunct instructor Daniel Sherron, Willie Street, and Chris Littlecook to better understand the barriers for Native American students. The session was moderated by T.L. Walker, Director of the Institute for Tribal Government for NOC. The panelists shared their educational experiences and discussed opportunities for students.
Students then toured the NOC campus with recruiter Bryan Hook, retention specialist Darion Bailey, and President Leadership Council students.
After lunch, students met with Kelly Jordan, Financial Aid Counselor, and Scholarship Coordinator Kerri Gray.
Students then met with representatives from Agriculture & Biological Sciences, Business, Fine Arts, Health, Physical Education & Recreation, Language Arts, Math, Nursing, Pre-Engineering/Process Technology, and Social Sciences.
NOC President Dr. Clark Harris welcomed the student group to NOC.
“We are so glad you are here on our campus today and we are glad you may be considering NOC,” he said. “NOC offers so much for students and we hope to show you that today during your visit.”
The event was coordinated by Kathleen Swain, Coordinator of NOC’s Student Academic Success Center.
“I want every student to know that college is an achievable option, if that is the pathway that can help them achieve their personal and career goals,” Swain said. “No student should ever feel like they aren’t able to go to college because of academic or financial reasons. NOC offers resources that can help students overcome challenges they may face because ultimately we want every student to be successful.”
The program is funded by an Equity Transfer Initiative grant. NOC is a partner with OSU in the project.
Northern Oklahoma College, the state’s first public two-year community college, is a multi-campus, land-grant institution that provides high quality, accessible, and affordable educational opportunities and services.
NOC serves nearly 4,000 students through the home campus in Tonkawa, branch in Enid, and NOC/OSU Gateway Program in Stillwater. Of these students about 80% receive financial aid and/or scholarships. 75% of NOC students complete their degree with zero debt.
The college is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and offers associate degrees in three general areas: Arts, Science and Applied Science; the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs; and the Accreditation Commission for Education and Nursing.
For more information about Northern Oklahoma College please call (580) 628-6208 or visit the NOC website at www.noc.edu.
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