IN BRIEF: GenTx campaign aims to boost early high school college applications

Posted by Jayme Blaschke
University News Service
November 12, 2014

The Center for P-16 Initiatives (P-16) at Texas State University will observe the Generation Texas (GenTX) Application Campaign Nov. 17-21.

More than 26 Texas high schools will participate in the statewide recognition of GenTX Week as well as the nationwide American College Application Campaign (ACAC) initiative.

Throughout the week, students at four local high schools--San Marcos, Lehman, Lockhart and Hays--can be assisted by P-16’s G-Force mentors as they complete college applications during the school day, with the goal of each participating student submitting at least one college application.

ACAC, an initiative of the American Council on Education (ACE), in 2013 reached 39 states and the District of Columbia, 2,500 schools and 150,000 students—and generated 220,000 college applications nationally. The 2013 Texas campaign had 20 participating high schools with 2,129 students who completed 3,549 college applications.

This is the second year that Texas has hosted the application campaign that is designed to enhance and expand the college going culture in Texas. The campaign utilizes existing networks and infrastructure, such as school personnel and volunteers, which are low-cost or no cost. During the week students may apply to any of 148 public and private, nonprofit institutions of higher education in Texas, or any institution of higher education they choose.

Generation Texas is a statewide, grassroots movement designed to inspire and inform underserved communities to access higher education. The Central Texas GenTX headquarters are housed in the P-16 at Texas State.

For more information contact Isaac Torres at the Center for P-16 Initiatives at (512) 245-8192 or via email at it10@txstate.edu.