Happy New Year, Montana Counselors!

We hope you had a wonderful holiday season, and we are excited to begin 2017 with all of you!  MPSEOC & the Montana Colleges wanted to share a very special thank you and also a few important updates to kick off the new year.  This last fall season was an exciting time in education!  With the September College Fairs, we had collective efforts from hundreds of volunteers and a coming-together of 80+ colleges and universities that served over 10,000 Montana students exposing them to a multitude of opportunities available after high school.  Thank you for all your team efforts, for we simply could not offer these events without your help.

Further, this year's Counselor Update was the largest Update yet with over 240 registrants!  Through your attendance at this event, we continue to ensure students are getting up-to-date information about their best fit college.  Also, College Application Week was another huge success thanks to the GEAR UP team and everyone who makes this event happen. 

All of your continued hard work allows us to preserve and grow the quality of these events.  Thank you for all the good work you do for students and Montana.  It is an honor to team with all of you in this mission.

Wishing you a very happy start to 2017!
~MPSEOC, Lauren, & Amy
www.MontanaColleges.com

MONTANA COLLEGES NEWS & DATES

Support Montana Students Celebration  |  #MontanaStudents

|  See the pictures from your high schools and others from this celebration!  Thank you for showing your support!  #MontanaStudents
|  Please email any additional photos you may have to us as well:  guide@montanacolleges.com

Thank you for showing your great statewide spirit and support of students!  Preview photos shared from MT colleges supporting your students.

 
Welcome to our new Vista / Campus Compact Team Member, Lauren Tobias! 

| We are so grateful to have Lauren a part of our  Montana team and MPSEOC family.  Lauren joins us all the way from New York to help MPSEOC grow in new ways.  Feel free to share any ideas you may have on how we can better serve you through MPSEOC. 

MARK YOUR CALENDARS  |  Dates & Deadlines

General
|  Montana Tribal College Fair Circuit  | Feb 7-10 & Feb 13-14, 2016  |  More Info
|  Full Circle Scholarship Program  | American Indian College Fund begins accepting applications  |  01/01/17  | Apply

Campus Events
|  01/13/17  |  Montana State University Northern  |  Campus 'Game Day Visit'
|  01/20/17  |  Rocky Mountain College  |  RMC Preview Days  
|  01/27/17  |  Montana State University  |  MSU Fridays   
|  01/30/17  |  Miles Community College  |  Pioneer Preview Day
|  02/07/17  |  Montana State University, Billings  |  College Prep 101
|  02/10-02/11/17  |  University of Great Falls  |  Visit Day: Argo Winter Adventure '17
|  02/17/17  |  University of Montana  |  UM Preview Days 
|  02/17/17  |  City College MSU Billings |  Campus Visit Preview Day 
|  02/17/17  |  Montana State University, Billings  |  Campus Visit Preview Day 
|  02/20/17  |  Rocky Mountain College  |  RMC Preview Day  
|  02/24/17  |  Montana State University Northern  |  Campus 'Game Day Visit' 
|  02/27/17  |  Dawson Community College  |  Buccaneer [Preview] Day   

General Campus Visit Information
Aaniiih' Nakoda College   |  Contact for more information
Blackfeet Community College   |  Contact for more information
Carroll College  |  Spring Visits Available
Chief Dull Knife College  |  Contact for more information
Flathead Valley Community College  |  Schedule a Visit
Fort Peck Community College  |  Contact for more information
Gallatin College, MSU  |  Contact for more information
Great Falls College, MSU  |  Schedule a Visit 
Helena College, UM  |  Schedule a Tour
Highlands College of Montana Tech  |  Schedule a Tour
Little Big Horn College  |  Schedule a Visit
Missoula College, UM  |  Schedule a Visit
Montana Tech of UM  |  Schedule a Tour
Salish Kootenai College  |  Schedule a Visit
Stone Child College  |  Contact for more information
University of Montana Western  |  Schedule a Visit 

Campus Scholarships
|  Click on each campus for a list of their general scholarships and deadlines.  Any deadlines approaching within the next two months are noted.  When available, links to the specific scholarships are embedded.  |

|  Aaniiih' Nakoda College   |  General Scholarships
|  Blackfeet Community College  |  General Scholarships
|  Carroll College   |  02/01/17 Deadline: Dr. J. Murray and Margaret Sterling Brooke Memorial Scholarship; Family Tuition Allowance Grant; Parish Scholarship; National Women & Information Technology (NCWIT) Scholarship
|  Chief Dull Knife College   | General Scholarships
|  City College at MSU Billings  |  General Deadline, 02/01/17; Chancellor's Excellence Scholarship, 01/15/17
| Dawson Community College  |  General Deadline, 03/15/17
|  Flathead Valley Community College  |  General Deadline 02/15/17; FVCC Transformation Scholarship, 02/15/17; Donald E Pizzini Memorial Nurse Scholarship, 02/28/17
|  Fort Peck Community College  |  Student Services
|  Gallatin College  |  General Scholarships
|  Great Falls College MSU  |  General Deadline, 02/15/17
|  Helena College  |  Providial Medical Scholarship, 01/15/17; Society of Manufacturing Engineers Education Foundation, 02/01/17; P.L.A.Y. Scholarship, 2/15/17; Buick Achievers Scholarship Program, 02/27/17
|  Highlands College at Montana Tech  General Deadline, 01/15/17  
|  Little Big Horn College  |  General Scholarships
| Miles Community College  |  Scholarship Deadline Passed, 12/01/16
|  Missoula College  |  General Deadline, 02/15/17
|  Montana State University  |  Premier Scholarships for Freshmen from Montana,  02/01/17; WUE Scholarship, 02/01/17
|  Montana State University, Billings   |  General  Deadline, 02/01/17;  Chancellor's Excellence Scholarship, 01/15/17
|  Montana State University Northern   |  General Deadline, 02/10/17 
|  Montana Tech  |  General Deadline, 01/15/17  
|  Rocky Mountain College  |  Music Scholarship,  02/01/17; Montana Valedictorian Scholarship, 02/15/17
|  Salish Kootenai College  |  General Scholarships
| Stone Child College  |  General Scholarships
|  University of Great Falls  |  General Deadline, 01/30/17 
|  University of Montana  |  General Deadline, 02/15/17
|  University of Montana Western  |  Financial Aid Office; General Deadline Passed 01/01/17

MEMBERS SPOTLIGHT & SHARING

ABOUT | This section is driven by you, the counselors! Your advice, your resources, your articles, your stories.  Each issue will feature a different opportunity to share.  Send in responses to be shared with colleagues statewide over social media or in our next edition!

THIS MONTH'S CHALLENGE  | Ask one (or more) of your students to recount a valuable memory from the 2016 Montana College Fairs. An inspiring conversation? Gained clarity on a major course of study? Motivation to go to college? This can be done in video, written story, or any creative avenue of your and your students' choosing! With permission, we will cherish and utilize submissions to promote next year's college fairs. Have fun! 

|  Email your submission to:   Lauren.Tobias@MontanaColleges.com by 02/15/17.  

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT & RESOURCES

| This section will list professional development opportunities such as relevant conferences, webinars, videos, and/or articles.  We would love for you to share any helpful resources you find as well.  Thank you!

Upcoming Meetings & Conferences

|  OPI Assessment and Data Conference  |  January 12-13, Missoula 

|  Montana GEARUP Winter Liaison Meeting  |  January 24, Helena 

|  NCCEP/GEARUP Capacity Building Workshop  |  February 5-8, New York 
|  OPI Indian Education for All Best Practices |  Feb 19-21, Helena 
| 2017 MCAN Conference  |  March 27-29, Helena 
| Montana School Counselor Association Conference  | April 6-7, Bozeman 
 

Recommended Upcoming or On-Demand Webinars

With so many new changes to the FAFSA deadline, admissions folks are being asked more questions about this process.  If you are not familiar, here are some great webinars to join for free. (No Registration Required!)

Webinar  |  The 2017-2017 FAFSA Changes: What School Counselors Need to Know  |  ASCA  |  1 hour 4 minutes 
Webinar   |  Really Ready: Preparing Students for College, Work & Life  |  EdWeek  |  1 hour 
Webinar  |  Letters of Recommendation: Effective Strategies for Selective College Admissions  |  The College Board (On-Demand 2015 - 2016 Counselor Webinar Series)  |  1 hour 
TED Talk  |  How To Make Work Life Balance Work  |  10 minutes 

 

Recommended Information

Montana University System - Student Financial Services  |  Montana Scholarship Search & MUS Resources
Free On-Site Training for Students  |   Financial Literacy for Students  |  Reach Higher Montana
Professional Resource  |   Planning a FAFSA Event  |  Reach Higher Montana  
Professional Resource  |   Hosting a FAFSA Event   |  Support From the College Board 
Article  |  Letting the 17-Year-Old Voice Take Center Stage, a writing on helping edit college application essays  | The Huffington Post  
Article  |  School Counselors Have Enormous Impact on Students, Study Finds  |  ...Because sometimes, it's difficult to know if your hard work is making a difference!
Webinars for CEU's |  Did you know that The College Board has on-demand and live webinars that qualify for CEU's? View this link to browse and see if there are any topics of interest!

|  Email any resources you may have to share to:   Lauren.Tobias@MontanaColleges.com