Haugabrook to head TERI college access program

The Education Resources Institute (TERI) has named Adrian Haugabrook vice president of their Local College Access Programs.

Coming from Citizen Schools, a Boston-based after-school apprenticeship program, and with over 13 years of experience in higher education, Haugabrook said he is ready to lead a program that helps prepare students for college.

“The transition of coming to TERI was an opportunity to really marinate those experiences from higher education and seeing this work around college access,” said Haugabrook.

Since 2001, Haugabrook served as executive director of Citizen Schools’ Department of Public Policy, Alliances and Innovation. Prior to that, he was assistant dean of students at the University of Massachusetts-Boston, assistant dean of student services and multicultural affairs at Framingham State College and assistant director of student activities for minority affairs and leadership development at the University of West Georgia.

“We are very excited to have Adrian join the TERI management team,” said TERI President and CEO Willis J. Hulings III. “He brings with him a wealth of experience, knowledge, energy and a great passion for our mission. I look forward to working with Adrian and am confident that under his leadership, TERI will continue to provide innovative, state-of-the-art programs that offer all low-income, first-generation students and adults the opportunity to realize their higher education dreams.”

Haugabrook is already busy. Eligibility for federal financial aid began on Jan. 1, and he has urged applicants to apply for financial aid as soon as possible to increase their chances of achieving the best results.

“People have to understand that college is a possibility,” said Haugabrook. “We don’t want people to be burdened by numbers.”

In his new role, Haugabrook provides strategic and operational leadership to TERI’s Local College Access Programs, but his duties hold a far deeper meaning beyond just the daily tasks of his job. His life revolves around education and youth, and he speaks about both with great passion.

“I want to help create opportunities for others through this organization,” said Haugabrook. “Our core purpose is to promote educational opportunities that change people’s lives, and those goals are very much in line with my own personal mission.”

Haugabrook was the first person in his family to go to college, an accomplishment that helped shape his view of education as society’s great equalizer. He wants others to have that opportunity as well, but there are many students and families who worry that they cannot afford to pay for college as tuition costs continue to rise. He knows that persistent and pervasive barriers, like not having the proper access to financial aid information and resources, prevent people from getting a chance at college.

“They do not realize that substantial financial aid is available through state-funded grant programs in Massachusetts, as well as grants and loans from the federal government, colleges and universities,” he said.

Last year alone, Massachusetts students received over $1.4 billion in grants and low-interest loans from federal and state sources, and hundreds of millions of dollars from colleges and universities. What’s startling is that there are federal funds that go untouched every year because people who are eligible for them don’t realize that the money is available. Haugabrook says about 1 million students a year miss out because they are unaware.

“Through our programs and services, we are trying to create opportunities for people to access that kind of money,” said Haugabrook. “There is a realistic chance for these people to go to college, and the possibility is increased if they create a plan.”

In 2005, nearly 40,000 individuals received assistance through TERI programs, which include school-based programs, college access centers throughout Boston, Brockton and Chelsea and various outreach efforts, including one in which TERI officials visit every eighth-grade class in the city of Boston to help put college on the radar for incoming high school students.

And the sooner it comes on their radar screen, the more likely kids are to realize that a college degree is worth pursuing. On average, a college graduate will earn an annual salary almost 2.5 times higher than one whose education ended after high school. Over the course of a person’s working career, a college graduate is believed to earn over $1 million more than a person who has only a high school diploma.

Haugabrook says there are a host of other benefits to life with a college degree, including an increased commitment to civic engagement and awareness of important community issues.

“There is a trickle-up effect that comes along with having a college degree,” he said.

When Haugabrook is not helping potential college students find money, he extends his commitment to fostering that trickle-up effect into his community, working with his church as well as other organizations. He has aligned himself with a number of human services organizations and participated in civic groups that have a deep focus on service and education. He also leads youth activities at Myrtle Baptist Church in West Newton.

“My passion revolves around how to positively influence the way people think, their expectations, aspirations, planning and preparation,” Haugabrook said.