Business : Iowa College Aid Seeks Candidates for AmeriCorps VISTA Member Positions

owa College Aid Seeks Candidates for AmeriCorps VISTA Member Positions
College Changes Everything™ initiative launched in select Iowa communities

Des Moines, IA., April 17, 2014 – The Iowa College Student Aid Commission (Iowa College Aid) is leading the movement to increase educational attainment, community by community, through the launch of College Changes Everything™. With the launch of this initiative in select Iowa communities comes a variety of partnerships, as well as six new AmeriCorps VISTA members to support the effort.

These AmeriCorps VISTA positions will be embedded in college settings and organizations in the cities of Burlington, Council Bluffs, Marshalltown and Waterloo. Each AmeriCorps VISTA Member will be responsible for building momentum for the College Changes Everything™ initiative by coordinating local College Application Campaigns, organizing FAFSA completion projects, bringing together local partners and handling other responsibilities based on his or her respective community’s needs.

“College Changes Everything is based on the idea that sustained change is only possible through cross-sector coordination,” says Karen Misjak, Executive Director of Iowa College Aid. “Relationships based on shared responsibility and trust, development of a common agenda, shared measurement of goals, effective communication and mutual reinforcement of activities among all participants are key to successfully increase college attainment at the community level.”

By creating and strengthening collaborative partnerships, College Changes Everything™ seeks to leverage the strengths and long-term plans of each participating organization to meet the community’s higher education goals and raise educational attainment statewide.

For more information about Iowa College Aid, the College Changes Everything™ initiative and to apply for the available AmeriCorps VISTA positions, visit www.IowaCollegeAid.gov. In addition, more information to help Iowa families plan, prepare and pay for college is available on Iowa College Aid’s website or call 877-272-4456.