The Board of Regents received an update on the Nevada System of Higher Education\u2019s (NSHE) system-wide Foster Youth Success Initiative, which has helped more than 70 NSHE students with tuition assistance or other services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m very proud of the early success of this initiative and I look forward to seeing it grow in the future. These students need our help and I\u2019m glad we are able to provide it,\u201d said NSHE Chancellor Thom Reilly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The primary mission of the NSHE Foster Youth Success Initiative is to help recruit, support, and retain students who have been dependents of the child welfare system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In support of the initiative, NSHE received a $200,000 grant from the Walter S. Johnson Foundation, the NSHE Foster Youth Fee Waiver, and hired a Foster Youth Ambassador – Laura Obrist. The Foundation has asked the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and Truckee Meadows Community College to apply for grants in support of their foster students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Meanwhile, Obrist is assisting all NSHE degree-granting institutions with implementing and designing campus-based support services that will aid foster youth in enrolling and succeeding in college.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Plus, NSHE is also working with Clark County to address housing issues among foster and homeless students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Board of Regent\u2019s Chair Jason Geddes said, \u201cThis initiative is off to a fantastic start. It provides a way out for youth who have face tremendous challenges and hardship, through no fault of their own. Yes, this is a small population of students, but they are the ones who have the most need.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As the initiative grows, NSHE plans to create a statewide learning community, build a comprehensive post-secondary support system for foster youth, and develop effective post-secondary transition strategies that will expand foster youth-serving systems’ capacity to support college-planning activities and create stronger career pathways for foster youth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n