The Leaf-Chronicle Published 5:00 a.m. CT Sept. 11, 2019

More than 400 Austin Peay State University freshmen will soon have access to "near-peer" mentors to help them navigate university life all the way to completion.

College Possible, a national nonprofit that connects high school and college students with mentors, on Wednesday announced thepartnership with APSU.

Members of APSU's largest freshman class take a tour of campus in August.(Photo: Contributed/Denzil Wyatt, APSU)

Austin Peay State University prides itself on bridging gaps in not just access, but also completion, for students from a wide variety of backgrounds, APSU President Alisa White said in a news release. This partnership taps the potential of one of our most powerful assets, recent graduates, who are uniquely equipped to mentor students following in their footsteps.

The program, called Catalyze, builds on College Possible's 20-year history of training AmeriCorps service members to help low-income high school juniors and seniors enroll in and complete college, according to the news release.

College Possible intends to scale similar near-peer coaching programs to institutions nationwide. Recent results show that 92 percent of program participants who were enrolled in college in fall 2018 returned for the spring 2019 term.

This initiative reflects a spirit of innovation and commitment to equity that has enabled Austin Peay to boost graduation rates for low-income students in recent years, Loretta Griffy, APSU associate vice president for student success and strategic initiatives, said in the release. Its about helping students to build relationships that create stronger connections to our campus community. It is about supporting students as they navigate the transition to university life.

College Possibles Catalyze coaches are recent college graduates. Many have navigated challenges that could have ended their own educational journeys. Each coach is located at the university, maintains a full-time presence on campus, and engages in the university environment alongside their students, the release said.

The College Possible success coaches will join college-focused student success teams under the guidance of Nancy King Sanders, APSU executive director for the Center for Teaching and Learning.

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Freshmen at Austin Peay State University to get mentoring from AmeriCorps coaches - Clarksville Leaf Chronicle