(San Antonio, TX, November 9, 2006) – San Antonio College today announced a $300,000 grant to implement the Gateway to College© program, a national model developed by Portland Community College.  The dropout recovery program at San Antonio College will work in partnership with five participating school districts – Alamo Heights ISD, Comal ISD, Northeast ISD, Northside ISD and San Antonio ISD.

Gateway to College© is designed for young adults ages 16 to 20 who dropped out of high school.  The program enables them to earn a high school diploma while simultaneously earning college credits toward an associate degree or certificate, and pays for student tuition and books.

A generous three-year grant of $300,000 from Portland Community College (PCC) will help SAC with the planning and startup costs of Gateway to College©.  

PCC is a national intermediary in the Early College High School Initiative (ECHSI) that is funded by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Funding partners include the Carnegie Corporation of New York, The Ford Foundation and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. The ECHSI provides traditionally underserved students with a rigorous, college-level curriculum and the opportunity to earn significant college credit.  Gateway to College, the only recovery initiative for out-of-school youth, expects to launch 17 programs by the fall of 2007.

“Gateway to College helps recapture students who have dropped out.  It brings them back to finish high school with the bonus of earning college credit,” said Dr. Robert Zeigler, San Antonio College president.  “Many students who thought their only choice was to drop out will now have a chance to come back with more opportunities to succeed.”

SAC’s Gateway to College© program is scheduled to begin in fall 2007, with approximately 50 students from the five participating school districts. Because this is a population at high risk for dropout, students will be grouped as a learning community during their first semester, called the Foundation Term. The learning community structure will allow them to be enrolled in courses with their high school peers as they build their academic and personal skills and prepare for college courses. After successfully completing the Foundation Term, students will transition to classes with the regular college population. Program supervisors at SAC anticipate the program to grow to 300 students by fall 2009.
Though classes will be held at SAC, the students will be enrolled in their home school districts, which will receive state funding for the students. The schools will in turn give a part of their allocation per student to SAC, making the program self-supporting, costing the school districts what it would have cost them to have the students on their campuses.

“Gateway to College falls in line with our college mission and goals as a community college, specifically related to under-served populations,” Zeigler said.  “This is an opportunity for SAC to contribute in that way.”

The Gateway to College© model developed by PCC promotes student success and readiness for an adult learning environment.  The program offers intensive literacy development and maintains rigorous academic standards while also providing individualized support in an educational setting on a college campus.  A team of caring teachers and resource specialists who have experience and interest in helping at-risk youth will provide guidance and instruction.

For more information about the Gateway to College© program at San Antonio College, contact Ruben Flores, dean of Evening, Weekend and Distance Education, (210) 733-2475, or visit www.gatewaytocollege.org. For information on the ECHSI, visit www.earlycolleges.org.

Pictured here during SAC’s news conference announcing the $300,000 grant from Portland Community College to implement the Gateway to College© dropout recovery program are: (l-r) Kevin Brown, director of personnel and public information, Alamo Heights ISD; Dr. Thomas B. Baynum, vice president of academic affairs, Palo Alto College, which also hosts a Gateway to College© program; Dr. Robert E. Zeigler, San  Antonio College president ; Laurel Dukehart, director, Gateway to College© National Network, Portland Community College; Sylvia Reyna, an associate superintendent for San Antonio ISD; and Dr. Daniel R. Derrico, vice chancellor for administration, Alamo Community College District.
 
Photo by: Leonard Ziegler, SAC staff photographer