History and Timeline

1995

  • Connecticut College hosts College Summit’s first residential workshop with 32 students. The Dean of Admissions at Connecticut College calls J.B. Schramm saying, “I don’t know what you’re doing, but it works. My staff understands your kids’ applications. We enrolled several of them – whom we would have overlooked on numbers alone – and they’re succeeding.”

1996  

  • An economist, a federal judge, and a College Summit alumna convene as the first Board of Directors and pledge our cause: to raise the college-going rate in low-income communities throughout America.

1999

  • In Denver, the Principal and College Counselor of Manual High School approach College Summit with the idea of using College Summit tools to build the college-going culture on an entire high school.  Research and development on this new program model begins.
  • College Summit begins connecting partner colleges with 'better than their numbers' students.

2000

  • The U.S. Department of Education awards College Summit one of its largest Post-Secondary grants to test College Summit as a potential national model.
  • College Summit runs its first workshop with all Core Staff roles filled by alumni. College Summit also hires one of its first four alumni as the full-time Director of Student Affairs.

2001

  • The National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) gives College Summit its highest national award for expanding college opportunity to under-represented youth.
  • The Miami Herald publishes College Summit’s first op-ed, calling for high schools to measure the college enrollment rates of their students.

2002

  • College Summit is working with students and operating offices in DC, West Virginia, Colorado and California.

2003

  • Demonstrating support from both sides of the aisle, College Summit is prominently profiled in the U.S. Department of Education’s March 2003 report on college access and is invited by former President Clinton to serve as the Education Partner at his first annual National Youth Conference in February 2003.
  • In 14 high schools, College Summit  pilots efforts to raise college enrollment rates and strengthen college-going culture school-wide.

2004

  • The New York Times, Fast Company Magazine, National Public Radio and David Bornstein’s Book, How To Change the World, profile College Summit.

2005

  • College Summit launches its fifth site, St. Louis, a community that emerged from a competitive process. College Summit again wins Fast Company’s “Social Capitalist Award,” honoring the top 25 groups “changing the world.”
  • College Summit serves its 10,000th student in school year ’05-’06.

2006

  • College Summit launches its sixth site, South Carolina.
  • Growing quickly, College Summit and our high school partners are working with close to 7,000 students during the school year.
  • More than 250 teachers convene at College Summit's inaugural Educator's Institutes to share best practices.