Oregon Alliance of Independent Colleges and Universities

The Alliance is now in its 10th year partnering with CASA of Oregon to make the Matched College Savings Program (MCSP) available to students enrolled at Alliance member colleges and universities. To date, over 325 students have participated in this program that provides mentoring in the form of career, educational, and financial education; and matches their savings from employment 5:1 with federal AFI funds, state tax credits, and Alliance-raised funds. Students must be at or below 200% of the Federal Poverty Level to participate in this program.

Since MCSP’s inception, participating students have saved a total of $424,937 which has been matched with $2,055,892 in Alliance, state, and federal funds. The Alliance matches alone have totaled $658,364.

We know from our financial aid directors that at least 4,000 students at our member institutions meet the financial eligibility requirements to qualify for an Individual Development Account (IDA). Manifest need and demand for the program clearly outstrip our capacity to sustain it under the present model. So the Alliance submitted and was awarded its own grant from the federal AFI program in October 2016, which the Alliance and its participating member colleges and universities matched.

Under this new program model, E3: Earn, Educate, Empower will serve up to 180 students annually. Each dollar participating students save, up to $500/year, will be matched at a ratio of 8:1 with E3 program funds. A student can participate for a maximum of four years, meaning the benefit potential (savings and match combined) for fully participating in this program is $18,000. Under the previous MCSP program, a student's total benefit was capped at $9,600.

Students enrolled in E3, which launched on April 1, 2017, are required to save for a minimum of six-months before accessing their match. To date, ninety-nine students have completed E3’s program requirements and seen their total savings of $48,250 matched with $386,000 in E3 program funds.

In Spring 2017, AFI's $18.95 million in funding that fueled Individual Development Accounts (IDA’s) across so many programs and states was eliminated as part of a broader $900 million cut to the Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor and Education.

With the elimination of AFI, the Alliance and CASA of Oregon partnered to establish a stable process and funding stream in Summer/Fall 2017 to enable E3 to continue for the 2018-19 academic year and beyond. E3 will match each student’s savings 6:1 through a combination of Oregon IDA, and Alliance-raised funds. Participating colleges will also support E3 students by providing $1,000 in aid.

Beginning April 1, 2018, students can open an E3 account at the new match rate. E3 will match every dollar eligible students save with six dollars, up to $500. This turns $500 into $3,500 per year for each participating student. It is expected up to 180 students, the majority being Oregon residents, will be served through E3.

Low-income students attending an Alliance member Institution are investing precious time and limited financial resources to prepare for lifetimes of professional service and civic engagement. Thanks to our participating partners’ investments, we are empowered to provide these students with the highest quality education and personal attention and with the support they need to succeed.

For the 2017-18 academic year, 12 Alliance donors partnered with 148 students through the Alliance’s Named Scholarship program:
• 52 students received Named Scholarships totaling $39,200;
• 96 students received Campus Diversity Named Scholarship totaling $172,642;
• The average award for these 148 students was $1,431;
• 77% of our Named Scholarship recipients are first generation college students.

The Alliance raises support to create applied research projects for undergraduate students enrolled at our member colleges and universities. The projects require a minimum of two Alliance member colleges and universities and one business/industry partner.

Projects:
• 2015: $15,000 grant awarded to the University of Portland in collaboration with George Fox University and Portland General Electric. The project combined the University of Portland’s solar-thermal collection system and the electrical engineering and controls expertise of George Fox University. The team worked closely with Portland General Electric to align the long-term research goals with energy needs in the region.

• 2016: Three separate grants totaling $45,000 to the University of Portland for additional collaborative, conservation-related research projects. Two of these were in collaboration with PGE and George Fox University engineering and chemistry departments; the third was a collaboration between the City of Portland Bureau of Environmental Services and the Lewis & Clark environmental studies department.

• 2017: Two $15,000 grants to the University of Portland to collaborate with George Fox and PGE for continued study of solar thermal energy production; and with George Fox University and NW Natural to investigate issues related to the design of a prototype isothermal natural gas compressor.

• 2018: Two grants of $10,000 each were awarded; one to the University of Portland in collaboration with George Fox University, Sunmark Environmental, and Vigor Industrial to perform an evaluation of nutrient and metals removal using agricultural byproducts in bioretention systems. The second grant was awarded to Pacific University in collaboration with the University of Portland and Clean Water Services to conduct a field-scale study of contaminant loadings in a natural waste water treatment system.

Through innovation and collaboration, and the individualized, student-focused teaching and learning environments that characterize our student experiences, The Oregon Alliance of Independent Colleges and Universities will continue to produce graduates who pursue lives of meaningful work and contribute to our state’s civic and economic well-being.