CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 26, 2006--Just days after the release of data showing that only 35 percent of Chicago public high school students who enroll in a four-year college will earn a bachelor's degree within six years, the Associated College of Illinois (ACI) will launch ACI's College Success Network, a new initiative specifically designed to help more minority, low-income and first generation students succeed on college campuses and enter the workforce with college degrees. ACI's College Success Network will be dedicated during ACI's 54th Annual Meeting this Thursday, April 27, 2006, at 4:30 p.m. at the Union League Club of Chicago, 65 West Jackson Boulevard.
ACI's College Success Network has been developed over the past year in partnership with faculty, multicultural directors, financial aid departments, student services and admissions officers from ACI member institutions. Initial funding has been generously provided by Lumina Foundation for Education, the Foundation for Independent Higher Education, and Fifth Third Bancorp, the lead corporate sponsor for ACI's College Success Network. The Chicago data, which points to the urgency of ACI's College Success Network, was released on April 20, 2006, by the Consortium on Chicago School Research...