Montana University System
College Access
 News & Updates
August 27, 2020 | Issue 3
Upcoming College Access Arc Event - College Application Week
What is College Application Week?
Montana College Application Week (CAW) offers students dedicated time and space during the school day to complete college applications with the assistance of school staff and volunteers. Schools and community-based organizations host CAW events during the first week in October (September 28 - October 2, 2020). Since its start in 2012, more than 15,000 students have submitted applications to colleges in Montana during their school’s CAW event. All 26 Montana colleges participate and nearly all of Montana's high schools host events each year. We are aiming for 100% participation across the board. This year, CAW will be part of multiple college access events across schools including FAFSA completion month in October and Decision Day in May, 2021. This year College Application Week will be even easier with Apply Montana, the Montana University System's new central application. For more details, see below.

Why participate?
All of our college access events are designed to be inclusive. The goal of CAW is to increase the number of low-income and first-generation college students applying to colleges and universities. We know the events are fun and helpful for all students. In fact, when we say “college,” we mean all formal education or training after high school. So, your CAW event is just as important for students planning to begin an apprenticeship as it is for students applying to a four-year university!

How to join:
You can register your school for College Application Week (and our other college access events!) here. Officially registering your school allows us the opportunity to better track the data from this event to guide future decision-making, as well as send your school the materials and webinar support needed to create an amazing experience with your students!
Apply Montana!
Apply Montana -
Montana University System Central Application
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New this fall:
Coming soon: ApplyMontana.org. The Montana University System central application "Apply Montana" will go live in September 2020. Join us for a webinar with information on Apply Montana and College Application Week, Wednesday, September 16th, from 3:30-4:30. Details to come.
Guest Feature: MPSEOC - Upcoming virtual events
MPSEOC Update
On behalf of Montana colleges, counselors, & schools, we hope you are staying healthy, and we want to specially invite you to stay connected with us through our new virtual opportunities! These are unusual times for education with COVID-19, and though we are restricted in hosting in-person college / career fairs, counselor updates, student events in Montana this fall, we are very excited to still offer some amazing virtual opportunities to connect & meet! We are committed to making sure students are still able to explore their options after high school and gain access to the resources and tools they need for success. We appreciate your extra team efforts to help students together in this time. Please help spread the word about these free student service events and share any questions you have. Together we will help students through this unique time! 


  M O N T A N A   V I R T U A L   E V E N T S
     F A L L  -  W I N T E R  |   2 0 2 0

Even with COVID-19, do you still want to connect with Montana students, counselors, parents, colleges, military branches, agencies, & beyond?
  • Good news! We are here to help you! With in-person fairs, high school visits, & events being restricted, MPSEOC is excited to team statewide and nationally to offer several new options to still connect during this unique time. 
  • FREE FOR STUDENTS, COUNSELORS, TEACHERS, & PARENTS TO ATTEND. |  FREE REGISTRATION OPENS MID-SEPTEMBER 2020 - LOOK FOR MORE INFORMATION BEING SENT TO ALL MONTANA HIGH SCHOOL COUNSELORS. IF YOU ARE NOT A MONTANA HIGH SCHOOL COUNSELOR, BUT YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE INVITED TO THESE FREE EVENTS, JOIN OUR MAILING LIST |  JOIN OUR MAILING LIST
  • ​EXHIBITORS REGISTER TODAY AT THE LINK BELOW! LIMITED SPACES! |  DEADLINE TO REGISTER TO EXHIBIT:  AUGUST 31, 2020 ​|  SIGN UP TO EXHIBIT & OFFER SESSIONS TODAY


1st V I R T U A L  E V E N T | September 21 - 25. 2020 | Montana Statewide Virtual Fair & Live Student/Counselor Sessions & Programming
·       Virtual Fair & Live Event | This September Event will be in place of our normal in-person 3 weeks of Montana College Fairs.
·       Nationally Reliable Virtual Platform | This new Virtual Event Program seamlessly connects high school students, counselors, parents, etc. with colleges and universities in a dynamic, new, digital meeting space. Admission staff have the opportunity to engage meaningfully with students through interactive sessions and gain access to leads, training, tech support, and much more. High school students get the chance to learn about different colleges and universities via a mobile experience that is totally intuitive, informative, interactive, and fun. We are excited to have you part of this new virtual offering! 
·       Statewide Montana Reach & Long-Standing Relations / Tradition | Reach 1,000's of Montana students, counselors, parents, colleges, & beyond! For 30+ years MPSEOC has hosted our Montana College Fairs. Our in-person fairs bring over 10,000 attendees with a mix of high school seniors, juniors, sophomores, & college transfer students. This virtual event will be hosting attendance from this same audience and beyond. We are teaming closely with all 200+ Montana high schools, 300+ Montana high school counselors, all Montana colleges, & many stateside and national associations to make this event a success.

2nd V I R T U A L   E V E N T   | October 26 – 30, 2020 | Live Counselor Update & Student Fair Sessions

3rd V I R T U A L  E V E N T | Winter Virtual Event | Live Counselor Update & Student Fair Sessions

Other Montana Virtual Events & Programming | TBA - Coming soon! 


WHO WILL BE EXHIBITING AT THIS EVENT?

OPPORTUNITY TO MEET, ASK LIVE QUESTIONS, WATCH VIDEOS, SCHEDULE ONE-ON-ONE MEETINGS, & MORE WITH:
  1. ALL MONTANA COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES
  2. MANY OUT-OF STATE COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES
  3. MILITARY BRANCHES
  4. MANY STATE AGENCIES
  5. ADMISSIONS, FINANCIAL AID, SCHOLARSHIP INFORMATION, & MORE!  ​

WHAT DO THESE EVENTS OFFER?
|  A ONE-STOP-EVENT FOR STUDENTS, COUNSELORS, PARENTS, SCHOOLS, COLLEGES, & BEYOND!
|  HERE IS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR STUDENTS TO RESEARCH, MEET, ASK QUESTIONS, & CONNECT WITH MANY OPTIONS AFTER HIGH SCHOOL ALL IN ONE PLACE.
|  ADMISSIONS, FINANCIAL AID, SCHOLARSHIP, CAREER SEARCH TOOLS, & MORE!
|  WE PROUDLY WORK CLOSELY AND PARTNER WITH ALL 200+/- HIGH SCHOOLS.
|  WE PROUDLY WORK CLOSELY AND PARTNER WITH ALL 300+/- HIGH SCHOOL COUNSELORS.
|  WE PROUDLY WORK CLOSELY AND PARTNER WITH MANY STATEWIDE & NATIONAL PARTNERS TO MAKE THESE EVENTS A SUCCESS. A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO ALL WHO HELP MAKE THESE EVENTS HAPPEN:  ALL 25 MONTANA COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES, 200+/- HIGH SCHOOLS, 300+/- HIGH SCHOOL COUNSELORS, GEAR UP, THE MONTANA UNIVERSITY SYSTEM, THE OFFICE OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION, REACH HIGHER MONTANA, AMERICAN INDIAN COLLEGE FUND, MONTANA DEPARTMENT OF LABOR & INDUSTRY, MASFAA, & MANY MORE!


We hope to have you part of these Montana Virtual Events created to help students together in this unique time! We would love your help spreading the word too and getting students involved. Please feel free to share this email with your contacts, and please let us know if you have any questions, or we can help in any other way. Sending you a healthy and happy rest of the summer! On behalf of Montana, thank you for all the good work you do to help students and education.  

Amy M Leary
Director of MPSEOC
Meet our College Access Champions
K-12 College Access Champion
Lance Olson, Hardin High School GEAR UP Liaison
I was raised on a farm in Custer, MT, where I graduated. I started my teaching career in China teaching ESL (English as a Second Language). I found that I really loved teaching there, so I completed my degree in History and a Masters in Curriculum Design and Instruction at MSU-B. My wife and I taught for 2 years in Geraldine and another year in Lambert before teaching at Hardin for 3 years. I am now the GEAR UP liaison at HHS and absolutely love what I do!!! My wife is a math teacher and we have 4 kids.


Why is education important to you and your community?
Individuals are the basic building blocks of a community. Hardin has a very diverse and talented population that could allow for a strong, well-working economy, but unfortunately the skills and knowledge are not so diverse.  We know that many of our students are going to return to the Hardin area after college and we hope that they will come back with skills and experiences that will add life and opportunity into our community where only potential exists now.


How do you motivate students to go to college?
Students need to build true self confidence through success to help them overcome the initial fear of starting out on their own.  Juniors and Seniors at Hardin have many opportunities to take AP and Dual Enrollment classes.  The rigor of these classes gives our students the knowledge, skills and confidence that will lead to success in collegiate academics.  In the case of Dual Enrollment, the students are able to complete college classes successfully under the close guidance of their High School instructor.  They not only receive actual college credit that will work towards their future degree, they are also experiencing college course work and picking up college study skills and processes that remove a lot of the stress of going to college.
We are also introducing career-based classes like EMT, CNA, Welding, Construction and computer classes so that students can gain better guidance towards a career.  Many of our students do not have exposure to different careers and these classes give them the opportunity to see what different careers entail and if they feel like something related to these industries is a possible fit for them.  


What is the best thing about your school?
Our openness to innovation!  Our administration and staff are constantly looking for ways to improve the experience and opportunity of our students.  There is a lot of support for new programs and new methods.  I think that this allows us to tailor our education to fit the needs and desires of the students as well as the community. I also think that Hardin High has proven itself to be very resilient in the face of this pandemic.  Our teachers were quick to adapt to online instruction and share/help other teachers build quality educational programs.  As a school, we quickly built successful food distribution programs and were able to get technology and internet access to most students.  Montana schools in general should be recognized for their adaptability in the face of adversity over the last several months of school - great job, Montana!
Post-Secondary College Access Champion Laramie Smovir,
Great Falls College Enrollment Specialist
I was born and raised in Big Sky Country, but had to see the rest of the world to understand just how lucky we are to live in Montana. After high school graduation (in 1999), I took a year off and traveled with Up With People. After traveling the globe with a cast of 220 people from 21 different countries I returned home with an open mind, a realization that the world is so much bigger than me, and an understanding that I need to see people for our similarities and not our differences.

I live in Great Falls with my amazing husband, the cutest little one year old boy in the world, and two furry children (our Australian Shepherds). I have the pleasure of being the Enrollment Specialist at Great Falls College and love what I do. I am blessed to do work that helps people reach for their dreams and find a better future.


Why is education important to you and your community?
Education is an opportunity! An opportunity to learn, to do something that you love, to make more money. Education helps the economy and reduces crime rates in our communities. The truth is, education is one of the few opportunities in the world that has few downsides to it.

How do you ensure success on your campus?
Success comes from understanding your options, practicing self-advocacy, and knowing that you don’t have to have all the answers right now. I work to ensure student success by helping them understand the options that are available and figure out which choice best suits their needs. In the process, I try to empower them to advocate for themselves and get what they need to be successful. Additionally, I think it’s important they know that it’s okay to not know what they want to do for the rest of their life but they can take the first step in figuring out what that is by through general education courses.


Why should high school students consider college?
Students should consider college so they can open up their options to pursue the life they dream of.
To nominate a College Access Champion from your community, either at the K-12 level or the post secondary level, click here.
How to become Montana's 2020 CAW School of Excellence
What is a School of Excellence?
Our national partner the American College Application Campaign (ACAC) requests that each state submit one school of excellence nomination for their work on their college application campaigns. Here's what we consider when making the nomination:

  • The percentage of students that participate in College Application Week.
  • All data requests are submitted to the State Coordinator.
  • School Site Coordinator completes and submits survey after the event.
  • Students complete and submit surveys after the event.
  • The school shares their event on social media using the hashtags #iAppliedMT #MCAW2020.
Financial Aid Corner
FAFSA opens October 1st, are you prepared?
With the Montana Priority Deadline of December 1st, there is a small window to submit the FAFSA and ensure that your students receive the most financial assistance. Make sure you are ready to assist them with some of these resources below:




Download the Form your Future FAFSA resource guide for further support
High School Counselors
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COVID-19 Impacts on Financial Aid
Montana University System Resources


Federal Resources
  • Federal Student Aid COVID-19 FAQS
Scholarship Spotlight
Fifty $10,000 scholarships (one for each state) will be awarded to seniors demonstrating financial need, school and community involvement, and perseverance in overcoming personal adversity. Student's must plan to attend the University of Montana or Montana State University or any of their affiliate schools with a commitment to pursue and complete a bachelor's degree. An online Certification Form by school counselor is required. An email will be sent to your counselor once the academic section of the application is complete.
College Access Resources
Save the Date!
Upcoming Events...

MPSEOC Virtual College Fair Sept. 21-25, 2020

College Application Week Sept. 28-Oct. 2, 2020

FAFSA Completion Month October 2020

MPSEOC Counselor Update Oct. 26-30, 2020

1st Gen. College Student Day Nov. 9, 2020

MUS Priority FAFSA Deadline Dec. 1, 2020

Decision Day May 3-7, 2021
Montana University System www.mus.edu