OACHE, the Ohio Appalachian Center for Higher Education is a consortium of Public colleges and universities in 29 Ohio Appalachian counties. It was established by the Ohio General Assembly in 1993 in order to increase the educational attainment level of Ohio’s residents. OACHE’s mission is to break the barriers that discourage college attendance such as low self-esteem, poverty, and the lack of useful information about higher education. This program unites various institutes into an organization dedicated to bolstering youth participation in schools and universities.

OACHE’s agenda involves a series of classroom programs offered in P-16 (Preschool through 4 years of higher education) for Adams, Brown, and Highland Counties. They include a Reality Store, an Appalachian Festival, choosing a college pathway, going on college campus tours and attending career fairs. At the core of this organization’s work are the Access Projects, which are two-year grants, awarded to K–12 schools and OACHE member institutions to encourage students to consider and prepare for college.

Click the following links for additional information about OACHE and its representatives.

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