Dr. Orlando-Marquez C. Kittrell, founding director of the Office of State Grants (OSG), will present “Write Your Own Story by Setting the Bar!“ during April 8-10, 2016 at the CSTEP Statewide Student Conference to be held at The Sagamore on Lake George in Bolton Landing, NY. “PWI Access, DENIED!” is scheduled to be presented by Dr. Kittrell on June 2, 2016 at NCORE 2016 in San Francisco, CA
The CSTEP Conference combined presentation and workshop will explore and examine the primary role of branding through student identity development towards securing experiential learning, graduate school and professional opportunities. It will focus on students who are pursuing academic majors and careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematical (STEM) fields. The session will review the challenges facing historically underrepresented STEM students in the United States and in New York, and how the problem of securing true educational access still prevail, whereas unintentional educational barriers, historical hurdles and systemic microaggressions continue to potentially affect retention and graduation.
The NCORE 2016 presentation will examine the collective legislative actions that established higher education opportunity programs in PA, NY and NJ; opportunity programs that focus on academically underprepared and economically disadvantaged students, specifically students of color attending independent colleges and universities that are considered predominately white institutions (PWIs). The Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP) at Ithaca College serves as a successful model for engaging students, while other PWIs continue in their struggles to retain students of color in general.
OSG provides intrusive academic support services to eligible Ithaca College students participating in the Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program (CSTEP), the Careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (C-STEM) program and the Arthur O. Eve Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP).
The Ithaca College CSTEP and HEOP programs are funded in part through the Office of Postsecondary Access, Support and Success (OPASS) at the New York State Department of Education.
https://www.ithaca.edu/intercom/article.php/20160321135910982