- NYC mentors help with college transitions
- Fulbright grants awarded, sending applications
- USDA Challenge develops skills in myriad areas
NYC mentors help with college transitions
New York City public high school seniors who connected with a CUNY peer mentor over the summer were 7 percentage points more likely to enroll in college compared to those who did not, according to a new study from the City University of New York (CUNY) system.
The study of more than 53,000 students in the program in 2020 showed most significant gains among students who were Black, Hispanic and lived in low-income neighborhoods — an 8 percentage point increase for Black students and 9 percentage point boost for Hispanics compared to a 6 percentage point increase for white students. The students enrolled in both CUNY and non-CUNY schools.
The College and Career Bridge for All program, a partnership between CUNY and the New York City Public Schools, uses peer counselors and real-time admission data to help high school seniors navigate the college admission and enrollment process.
“This study highlights how much of a difference it makes for NYC Public School seniors to get help with college admissions, enrollment and financial aid, particularly when the help comes from peer mentors — college students who have gone through the process themselves not too long ago,” CUNY Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez said in a release.
The program uses college student mentors, called bridge coaches, to connect with high school seniors by text, email, social media or virtual meetings. In order to foster a strong connection, the college-age mentors and high school seniors are matched on the basis of shared experience, such as borough of residence, home language or high school. Students who don’t start at college in the fall can continue in the winter bridge program, which supports spring enrollment, according to CUNY.
Fulbright grants awarded, sending applications
Eleven public community colleges had faculty, researchers or administrators receive a Fulbright grant for 2022-23, with five of the colleges participating in the U.S. State Department-run program for the first time.
The community colleges receiving scholars grants are:
- Lone Star College (Texas), which received two grants
- Central Maine Community College
- Chandler-Gilbert Community College (Arizona)
- Dallas College
- Hawaii Community College
- Jefferson State Community College (Alabama)
- Montgomery College (Maryland)
- Ocean County College (New Jersey)
- Pellissippi State Community College (Tennessee)
- Trinidad State College (Colorado)
- Washtenaw Community College (Michigan)
The 2024-2025 Fulbright U.S. Scholar Competition opens this month. Faculty and administrators of U.S. higher education institutions and other professionals can apply for an award to teach or conduct research abroad in one of more than 130 countries in 2024-2025. For more information, watch the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program: webinar on February 15. Register for the event.
The 2024-2025 Fulbright U.S. Student Competition will open on March 30.
USDA Challenge develops skills in myriad areas
Two community colleges are among 16 minority-serving institutions selected to participate in the 2023 USDA Agricultural Export Market Challenge, which brings together college student teams to tackle a case study addressing climate-smart agriculture, nutrition security and international trade.
Columbia Basin College in Washington state and North Shore Community College (NSCC) in Massachusetts will send a team of students to the competition, which is run by U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) in cooperation with the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities. Participating teams will explore the work of FAS and accrue knowledge and skills in diplomacy, economics, marketing, scientific analysis and trade policy.
NSCC’s student team members are Lotus (Jiarong) Carlson, who is studying environmental studies, and Hailey Darling, a liberal studies student, and Emily Fenton, a horticulture major. NSCC team advisors are professor Barb Heath, the college’s horticulture program coordinator, and Mark Priest, a curriculum specialist. In addition to their faculty advisors, each team has been paired with a FAS official who will serve as a mentor.
The winner of the final round of presentations will be selected in early March and will have the opportunity to meet with USDA officials in Washington, D.C.
