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In The News
November 5, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Verizon Donates $50,000 to CSU
Dominguez Hills
to Support First-Generation College Students
(Carson, CA)— Evening
at Dominguez and BEST Academy/Summer Bridge, two programs at California
State University, Dominguez Hills (CSUDH) that support first-generation
college students, recently received $50,000 from the Verizon Foundation.
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| Verizon's Mike Murray presents a check to CSUDH President Mildred Garcia and students. |
Evening at Dominguez provides recruitment and information to students
interested in the university, while BEST (Building Essential Skills
and Talents) Academy/Summer Bridge offers academic support and
mentoring once they enroll. The Verizon Foundation grant will allow
for the expansion of these programs.
Gayle Ball-Parker, director of Outreach and Information Services,
which organizes Evening at Dominguez events throughout the community
each semester, said the program is unique in that it brings the
university to potential students who may not be familiar with the
ins and outs of higher education. The Verizon gift will assist
in providing the resources needed to hold these recruitment events,
including publicity, computer access, language interpreters and
staffing.
“By coming to them, it’s like we’re extending
an olive branch saying, ‘We’re going to come to where
you live and tell you about Dominguez, so when you come to us,
you know us and you’re more comfortable,’” Ball-Parker
said.
BEST Academy/Summer Bridge
program, administered by the university’s
Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) office, is a six-week preparatory
course for incoming freshmen who need to supplement basic math
and English skills. William Franklin, EOP director, said one of
the biggest challenges facing EOP are high school graduates who
enter college under-prepared, and that measures such as the BEST
Academy/Summer Bridge and personal follow-up counseling and mentoring
throughout the school year are key to EOP’s formula for successful
retention and matriculation.
“All the studies show that students who are retained after
the first year, their chances of making it to graduation increase
exponentially. We try to provide that support,” Franklin
said.
Mike Murray, director
of government and external affairs for Verizon, says that outreach
to students
is critical, especially for those
who are the first in their families to attend a university. He
said that Verizon was impressed by CSUDH’s efforts in assisting
its students.
“Essentially, it was the quality of the program and [CSU
Dominguez Hills] as well,” he says. “Going to a four-year
school, some students might need assistance even more than those
going to a community college. I love the idea of the BEST Academy
where they focus on math and English and help students acclimatize
to a university, which might be like going to a foreign country
to some. I know it was for me.”
“Verizon’s generous contribution gives us the opportunity
to expand our programs and services, to intensify our connection
with the students and to ensure that we have real data-based solutions
going forward,” Franklin said in expressing his gratitude
for Verizon’s donation. “It gives us a real opportunity
to evaluate what we do on a greater level and do more so that students
can not only make it through their first year, but matriculate
and succeed and then graduate.”
For more information on Outreach and Information
Services, visit
www.csudh.edu/outreach.
For more information on EOP and the BEST Academy/Summer
Bridge program, visit www.csudh.edu/eop.
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---------------------------------------------- About
Verizon Foundation -- The Verizon Foundation, the philanthropic
arm of Verizon Communications, supports the advancement of literacy
and K-12 education through its signature program, Thinkfinity.org,
and fosters awareness and prevention of domestic violence. In 2007,
the foundation awarded more than $67.4 million in grants to nonprofit
agencies in the United States and abroad. The foundation also matched
the charitable donations of Verizon employees and retirees, resulting
in $25.1 million in combined contributions. Through Verizon Volunteers,
one of the nation's largest employee volunteer programs, Verizon
employees and retirees have volunteered more than 3 million hours
of community service since Verizon's inception in 2000. For more
information on the foundation, visit www.verizon.com/foundation.
About California State University,
Dominguez Hills -- CSU Dominguez
Hills is a highly diverse, urban university located in the South
Bay, primarily serving the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The university
prides itself on its outstanding faculty and friendly, student-centered
environment. Known for excellence in teacher education, nursing,
psychology, business administration, and digital media arts, new
degree programs include computer science, criminal justice, recreation
and leisure studies, social work, and communication disorders.
On campus is The Home Depot Center, a multi-purpose sports complex
that hosts world-class soccer, tennis, track and field, lacrosse,
and cycling. For more information, visit www.csudh.edu.
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