Philadelphia kicks off campaign to boost college attendance

The new PhillyGoes2College office, located inside City Hall, will be the first of its kind in the country.

Only two in ten adults in Philadelphia have a college degree. According to census data, the city places near the bottom of the list when it comes to the percentage of residents with degrees.

In hopes of creating a fresh start for 2010, Mayor Nutter’s Administration is kicking off an initiative aimed at increasing college admissions.

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The new PhillyGoes2College office, located inside City Hall, will be the first of its kind in the country.

It’s designed as an easy access portal for prospective college students in the city to find information about scholarships, applications and financial aid.

Lori Shorr is Mayor Nutter’s Chief Education Officer. She says it’s just one part of a collaborative city-wide effort to make Philadelphia more economically competitive, while sending a clear message to students that college is accessible and affordable.

Shorr: This is going to be a pivotal piece in our K-16 strategy, you know we’ve focued a lot on the dropout issue and will continue to do so, but the work of making sure everyone in the city has access to a college education helps to make the high school diploma mean even more.

In addition, the administration plans to seek out new scholarships for city students from local universities.

The new resource office is scheduled to open by mid-February.