For the past 23 years, College Possible has served more than 93,000 students across the country. Today, guided by CEO Siva Kumari, we are leveraging the experience of the past two plus decades and harnessing it through the power of AI to navigate a rapidly changing educational landscape and a dramatic evolution in student needs, expectations and desires.
Through a partnership with Salesforce, the global leader in customer relationship management (CRM) software and applications, College Possible is developing new generative AI solutions that will help coaches better support and assist students as they take control of their educational experience.
“It’s critical that College Possible works with good partners that allow us to innovate and move our program model forward,” said Scott Del Rossi, College Possible’s vice president of college and career success. “Salesforce believes in our vision of reaching more students and having an even greater impact on their lives. Its support allows us to think boldly to truly increase our impact.”
Salesforce is a longstanding and valued College Possible partner. The Salesforce platform serves as the technology foundation for CoPilot, our industry-leading comprehensive data information system. CoPilot leverages more than 20 years of College Possible’s access and success expertise to provide colleges and universities with detailed insights into the academic, financial and social well-being of their students.
In 2023, College Possible was selected to be among the first six participants in the Salesforce AI for Impact Accelerator, designed to help purpose-driven nonprofit organizations fully understand, adopt and invest in emerging technologies such as generative AI. Pro-bono Salesforce experts contributed 166 volunteer hours to support College Possible’s digital transformation.
Let’s face facts: Our near-peer coaches have a nearly impossible task. Not only must they be experts in college applications and financial aid, they need to understand the unique policies of multiple colleges; promote best practices for studying and time management; and know the strengths, challenges and dreams of each student they coach. College Possible coaches are busy, and sometimes students must wait for responses from their coaches. College Possible’s reach and impact, then, is limited by the number and individual capacity of our coaches.
To scale and increase College Possible’s impact, we’re building a new platform that has the power to serve more students more effectively and more efficiently. We’re constructing a knowledge base from our proven and evidence-based curriculum, two decades of coaching and staff expertise and research, and numerous student metrics. The result will be a more precise, more adaptable, more student-centered program.
Our vision is to use Salesforce and generative AI technology to put 20 years worth of experience and information at the students’ fingertips. The Salesforce platform will provide 24-7 asynchronous access to the College Possible curriculum and knowledge base, while allowing students to access their academic records, engage with a coach, and manage their progression through college. AI tools will generate individualized student experiences, including tailored assistance based on their specific questions and challenges and automated reminders prompting them to complete tasks and meet deadlines.
This new approach will not replace our coaches. Combined, the Salesforce platform and generative AI will allow our coaches to adapt rapidly and proactively to the quickly changing realities of student life. Coaches will have the digital data and insight to more closely monitor students and better support institutional partners. By being relieved of some of their administrative burdens, coaches and support staff can personalize their coaching, deliver more-targeted, high-impact sessions to individual students, and spend more time on what really matters: supporting students throughout their college journey.
“Coaches are best-positioned to address the many nuances of the student experience in college,” said Josh Newby, director of curriculum and instruction at College Possible. “But we know students are engaging with coaches on their phones and tablets — and on their schedules, not ours. Salesforce is helping us harness generative AI technology so we can continue to evolve and meet students where they are.”
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