SAC IMPLEMENTS NEW COLLEGE AWARENESS PROGRAM AT LOCAL MIDDLE SCHOOL
January 29, 2008
Contact: David MacLean
Maclean.32@osu.edu
Columbus, Oh – The Student-Alumni Council (SAC) is proud to announce the creation of a new program as part of its ongoing mission to advance the University through programs that “cultivate relationships between students: past, present and future.” As part of a new initiative to reach out to a younger audience of future students, SAC has begun implementing a College Awareness program at Indianola Middle School. Every other week, SAC members visit the local school during an after-school program to lead discussions about the importance of setting long-term education goals. Activities range from brainstorming dream jobs, to learning about the important classes to take now, to identifying individual learning styles.
This program is in collaboration with Amy Wade from College Access, a division of Undergraduate Admissions, who was aware that Indianola Middle School had requested that OSU have some presence at the school. Indianola Middle School is located in the University District, which makes it convenient for students to spend time there and not have to travel far from their dorms and classes. Amy Wade approached SAC member Teresa Pratt about the possibility of leading the project and presented the opportunity to the group. When SAC realized that reaching out to future buckeyes would be best accomplished by focusing on the middle school and young high school students that Undergraduate Admissions does not target, it seemed like a perfect fit.
“Even after just a few visits to the school,” said Teresa Pratt, who coordinates the College Awareness program, “it’s obvious to me that everyone – the middle school students and the SAC members – is getting something out of this. We have a lot to learn from the kids, and it’s rewarding to know that we’re teaching them about something really important.”
The Student-Alumni Council is a student advancement organization dedicated to serving Ohio State students past, present, and future through the support and coordination of university and The Ohio State University Alumni Association, Inc. events. A member of the Association for Student Advancement Programs (ASAP) and its parent organization, the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), SAC strives to advance The Ohio State University through programs which enhance the student experience, promote student-alumni interaction and establish a spirit of loyalty to the university.
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