Nominate a White House Champion of Change for College Opportunity

“We were founded on the idea that everybody should have an equal opportunity to succeed. No matter who you are, what you look like, where you come from, you can make it. That’s an essential promise of America. Where you start should not determine where you end up.”

President Obama believes that expanding opportunity for every American to succeed in college is necessary to build strong communities and a strong economy. That is why over the past seven years, the President has doubled investments in college scholarships through Pell Grants and tax credits, kept student loans affordable by keeping interest rates low and capping student loan payments at 10 percent of income, made applying for financial aid easier, and promoted innovation and competition to bring down college costs and improve the quality of education.

For our nation to be successful requires all of us to take action. As the President has said, “If all of us work together – teachers, parents, nonprofits, corporations, school districts, university systems – if we make sure [our students] remain the best-educated generation in American history, there is no limit to what they can achieve, there’s no limit to what this country can achieve.” The incredible response to President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama’s College Opportunity Call to Actions in January 2014 and December 2014 was a powerful demonstration of what can be achieved.  Over 700 colleges and universities, nonprofits, foundations, businesses, state officials and other leaders made commitments, and report that their efforts have set more than 10 million more students on track to earn their college degrees on time within the decade.

This fall, the Administration will host a White House Champions of Change for College Opportunity event to honor individuals and leaders who have taken action to expand opportunity for students from all backgrounds to advance to and through college. Nominees should be individuals who are transforming their institutions through a range of strategies, with an emphasis on efforts that have made a difference in increasing the number of college graduates, enhancing college readiness, improving access to highly-trained school counselors, strengthening STEM education, and promoting greater diversity and inclusion.

We are seeking nominations to honor:

• Student Leaders: Students who have helped their peers access higher education and find success in college, including through leading change to foster positive campus climates.
• Higher Education Leaders: Leaders of higher education institutions who are advancing transformative practices in higher education to create the conditions for all students, particularly low-income, first-generation and underrepresented students, to succeed and thrive.
• Non-Profit, Business and Community Leaders: Leaders who have increased college opportunity in their communities, giving more students the chance to access an affordable, quality education.
• Teachers, Faculty, Counselors and School Staff: Teachers, counselors, professors and school staff that have strengthened educational opportunities for their students, and helped their students get the resources they need to access and complete college.

Please click here to submit your nomination by 11:59 PM on Monday, July 18.