Dr. Orlando-Marquez C. Kittrell, founding director of the Office of State Grants (OSG), presented “PWI Access, DENIED!” on June 2, 2016 at NCORE 2016 in San Francisco, CA.
The NCORE 2016 poster presentation and discussions examined 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; the majority of students are considered ethnic minorities. In part, these programs were designed to facilitate access to a college education and to increase the number of historically underrepresented students attending independent colleges and universities that are considered predominately white institutions (PWIs).
For minority students attending PWIs, the problem of securing true educational access still prevail, whereas unintentional educational barriers, historical hurdles and systemic microaggressions continue to affect retention and graduation. Through an analytical lens, participants will comprehend why an opportunity program at a PWI in New York State, 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. The success of HEOP is based on the offering of financial support with intrusive academic support services to students. The session particularly benefited college personnel in key or leadership positions who are interested in learning how HEOP student persistence, retention and graduation rates exceed their respective cohorts.
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).
https://www.ithaca.edu/intercom/article.php/20160622124323867