The Coordinating Commission awarded nearly $15 million to more than 15,000 needy college students last year as part of the Nebraska Opportunity Grant program.

The state of Nebraska provides the Nebraska Opportunity Grant - formerly the Nebraska State Grant - to students who meet certain qualifications.  Qualifications include being a Nebraska resident, attending a Nebraska postsecondary institution, and having a minimum Expected Family Income (EFC) as determined by completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

The Coordinating Commission is now accepting applications for the 2012 ACE Plus Scholarship Program. ACE Plus scholarships are available to full-time, first-year and second-year college students who received an Access College Early (ACE) Scholarship in high school.

The ACE Plus Scholarship was developed by the Coordinating Commission to encourage former ACE students to attend college full time. It's funded by the federal College Access Challenge Grant. The ACE Plus program first awarded scholarships for the 2011-2012 academic year. In that first year:

The Coordinating Commission recently honored longtime Commissioner Dr. Dick C.E. Davis of Omaha, who served on the Commission since its inception, in 1991, until January 2012.

Coordinating Commission Executive Director Marshall Hill recently testified on numerous bills under consideration by the Legislature.

The Coordinating Commission at its Dec. 8 meeting approved the LB Dual Enrollment and Career Academy Study.

LB 637 directed the commission to study the need for uniform policies and practices regarding dual-enrollment courses and career academies in Nebraska, as well as to examine other opportunities for Nebraska high-school students to earn college credit, such as Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate programs.

The Coordinating Commission at its Dec. 8 meeting will vote on adopting the LB 637 Dual Enrollment and Career Academy Report, produced by Commission staff. The Commission's Planning and Public Information Committee has already reviewed the report and will recommend approval to the full Commission.

The report is available for review on the Commission's website, as is more information about LB 637 and the dual enrollment/career academy study.

The Coordinating Commission this Wednesday will hold the last scheduled meeting of the advisory committee it formed to gather input on a study of dual enrollment and career academies in Nebraska. The committee will meet 9-11:30 a.m., at the Nebraska Council of School Administrators building, 455 S. 11th St., Suite A, in Lincoln.

The Coordinating Commission's dual enrollment/career academy advisory committee will hold its second meeting this Tuesday, Oct. 11, at the Cornhusker Hotel in Lincoln.

In May 2011, Gov. Dave Heineman signed into law LB 637, part of which calls on the Coordinating Commission to conduct a study on the need for uniform policies and practices regarding dual-enrollment courses and career academies in Nebraska. The legislation directs the Coordinating Commission to collaborate with numerous stakeholders in completing this study.

The Coordinating Commission distributed  more than $220,000 in scholarship funds to more than 300 college students as part of the new ACE Plus Scholarship program. The Commission distributed the funds in July and August for the current academic year.

Coordinating Commission Executive Director Marshall Hill has been named chair-elect of the State Higher Education Executive Officers (SHEEO), the national organization that serves statewide higher-education coordinating and governing boards.