UC-HUGHES PARTNERSHIP UC SCHOLARS …cech.uc.edu/content/dam/cech/Documents/scholars...UC-HUGHES...
2
UC-HUGHES PARTNERSHIP UC SCHOLARS ACADEMY/ NEWS FALL 2015 COLLEGE OF EDUCATION, CRIMINAL JUSTICE, AND HUMAN SERVICES I n their three-plus years at UC’s College of Nursing (CON), Dean Greer Glazer and Associate Dean Karen Bankston have left no stone un- turned ensuring Hughes STEM High School students interested in nursing are competitively prepared for acceptance into their college. This work feeds their larger mission of educating a healthcare workforce that mirrors patients by developing underrepresented and disadvantaged students. Early on, the dynamic-duo identified that “we had African-American and Latino students in lower proportions than Hamilton County,” ac- cording to Glazer. “We noticed that many who were applying were not getting in and, those that did, were not making it through the freshman year and into the actual nursing program.” The culprit is low ACT scores, remedied with prep classes at Hughes, one of many actions the college has taken in partnering with the neigh- boring high school. A new $2.5 million US Department of Health and Human Services grant funds the Pathways for Emerging Health Care Leaders Program at Hughes to increase the pipeline of diverse professionals in the field. It builds on a lesson from a CON social experiment with six urban Cincinnati high schools that 11 th grade is too late to recruit. Efforts now begin in 9 th grade with a progression of learning, exploring, mentoring and leading. As a result, retention rates for the college have skyrocketed from 39 percent to 78 percent and 86 percent. “However,” Glazer says, “we still have a group who really doesn’t know what they need to do to be com- petitive in the (college) application process.” Drilling down into Hughes, the new grant fosters awareness of and preparation for four-year health degrees by: • Clarifying education requirements; • Creating social support networks for students and parents; • Boosting science and math aptitude; • Ramping up college readiness; and • Ensuring first-year college fluency. Implementation includes: health-profession coaches and school clubs; UC-student mentors; STEM enrichment; inviting Hughes alumni in healthcare to reach out to students; professional development for high- school teachers; continued ACT prep; a health-professions academy for students as well as a parent academy; and a summer bridge experience for incoming freshman. Beyond the need for career exploration and academic support, the college uncovered, perhaps, an even greater void: empowering parents and guardians to support their children. “In our town-hall discussions with parents, the community, professionals, educators and social-service agencies, we heard we must engage families because some students and parents have no idea of the opportunities or how to prepare,” associate dean Karen Bankston says. Glazer and Bankston are so invested that they’ve even met directly with parents, guardians or significant others. “Parent involvement starts when the student applies at the interview,” Glazer says. “You can tell so $2.5m grant drills down to awareness, prep at Hughes much about relationships and we’ve had opportunities to cry as we hear families are homeless, a student is bullied, parents can’t find jobs or the student is working fulltime to support the family.” UC’s College of Educa- tion, Criminal Justice, and Human Services will add a counselor at Hughes to meet the overwhelming demand. Bankston is adamant about the program because only four percent of Cincinnati Public School (CPS) students attend UC’s main campus. “They don’t get to main campus because they don’t meet the standards,” she says. “It’s our opinion that these students have not been given the opportuni- ties and supports and we believe this intervention will help them meet that potential.” Her goal is that Hughes, and eventually all CPS, students “get to 12 th grade and graduate ready to come to main campus. Our studies confirm there is a nationwide shortage of diversity in the health professions because public education doesn’t have the tools or resources that universities do. It is our work to help resolve some of those issues.” “We have a health care system that is seriously broken with very sig- nificant disparities in communities and a workforce that doesn’t match the population,” the dean says. “We have faith that if Hughes students are intentional about creating the path, taking the right courses, buckling down to study and taking advantage of opportunities, they can be successful in getting into our program and graduate.” “They need to hear that they are needed and people want to help them succeed,” Bankston confirms. The summer UC Scholars Academy was more than an intellectual opportunity for 11 Hughes High School juniors and seniors. They net- worked, gained essential time-management skills, bonded as a group and continue to support each other, adjusted to dorm life and sharing, learned no question is stupid, boosted their confidence, switched career interests and discovered that GPAs are more important than flaunting designer labels. Gathered over lunch this month, students reunited with academy staff, a grant evaluator and three UC students who want to engage them socially on the university’s campus. They discussed what difference the three weeks in June have made personally, career-wise and academically. “This summer showed me who to hang around with at school,” explains junior Carlos Reese, interested in engineering. “Positive-char- acter people that don’t showboat about what they have, but about their grades.” Initially, junior Mary Ndao “didn’t want to participate in math” at the academy “because I didn’t want to look stupid. I feel I was pushed up against my barrier. I learned to just ask the question and try to get smart- er.” She plans to pursue neurology. Junior Caitlin McLean ”learned how to talk around important [univer- sity] people with correct vocabulary. Now I take AP English and I have expanded my vocabulary and use mature words.” Teetering between studying psychology or psychiatry, exposure to professionals at Cincin- nati Children’s Hospital Medical Center convinced her “to be a psychia- trist to help patients with mental disorders and dispense medicines.” Labeled nosy, junior Adama Diallo now understands “I am just a curi- ous person.” Living on campus was “a reality check for life. High school and college are totally different and we got to see how it actually worked. L-R: College of Nursing Dean Greer Glazer and Associate Dean Karen Bankston Clockwise from front: Caitlin McClean, Hazaiah Yisreal, Adama Diallo, Carlos Reese, Mary Ndao, Kayla Ector, Ganda Kane, Shawn Curry and Paige Jones CONTINUED ON BACK PAGE Scholars savor more than academics Photo courtesy of UC Academic Health Center
Transcript of UC-HUGHES PARTNERSHIP UC SCHOLARS …cech.uc.edu/content/dam/cech/Documents/scholars...UC-HUGHES...
UC-HUGHES PARTNERSHIP
UC SCHOLARS ACADEMY/NEWS FALL 2015 COLLEGE OF EDUCATION, CRIMINAL JUSTICE, AND HUMAN SERVICES
In their three-plus years at UC’s College of Nursing (CON), Dean Greer Glazer and Associate Dean Karen Bankston have left no stone un-turned ensuring Hughes STEM High School students interested in nursing are competitively prepared for acceptance into their college. This work feeds their larger mission of educating a healthcare workforce that mirrors patients by developing underrepresented and disadvantaged students. Early on, the dynamic-duo identified that “we had African-American and Latino students in lower proportions than Hamilton County,” ac-cording to Glazer. “We noticed that many who were applying were not getting in and, those that did, were not making it through the freshman year and into the actual nursing program.” The culprit is low ACT scores, remedied with prep classes at Hughes, one of many actions the college has taken in partnering with the neigh-boring high school. A new $2.5 million US Department of Health and Human Services grant funds the Pathways for Emerging Health Care Leaders Program at Hughes to increase the pipeline of diverse professionals in the field. It builds on a lesson from a CON social experiment with six urban Cincinnati high schools that 11th grade is too late to recruit. Efforts now begin in 9th grade with a progression of learning, exploring, mentoring and leading. As a result, retention rates for the college have skyrocketed from 39 percent to 78 percent and 86 percent. “However,” Glazer says, “we still have a group who really doesn’t know what they need to do to be com-petitive in the (college) application process.” Drilling down into Hughes, the new grant fosters awareness of and preparation for four-year health degrees by:• Clarifying education requirements;• Creating social support networks for students and parents;• Boosting science and math aptitude;• Ramping up college readiness; and• Ensuring first-year college fluency. Implementation includes: health-profession coaches and school clubs; UC-student mentors; STEM enrichment; inviting Hughes alumni in healthcare to reach out to students; professional development for high-school teachers; continued ACT prep; a health-professions academy for students as well as a parent academy; and a summer bridge experience for incoming freshman. Beyond the need for career exploration and academic support, the college uncovered, perhaps, an even greater void: empowering parents and guardians to support their children. “In our town-hall discussions with parents, the community, professionals, educators and social-service agencies, we heard we must engage families because some students and parents have no idea of the opportunities or how to prepare,” associate dean Karen Bankston says. Glazer and Bankston are so invested that they’ve even met directly with parents, guardians or significant others. “Parent involvement starts when the student applies at the interview,” Glazer says. “You can tell so
$2.5m grant drills down to awareness, prep at Hughes
much about relationships and we’ve had opportunities to cry as we hear families are homeless, a student is bullied, parents can’t find jobs or the student is working fulltime to support the family.” UC’s College of Educa-tion, Criminal Justice, and Human Services will add a counselor at Hughes to meet the overwhelming demand. Bankston is adamant about the program because only four percent of Cincinnati Public School (CPS) students attend UC’s main campus. “They don’t get to main campus because they don’t meet the standards,” she says. “It’s our opinion that these students have not been given the opportuni-ties and supports and we believe this intervention will help them meet that potential.” Her goal is that Hughes, and eventually all CPS, students “get to 12th grade and graduate ready to come to main campus. Our studies confirm there is a nationwide shortage of diversity in the health professions because public education doesn’t have the tools or resources that universities do. It is our work to help resolve some of those issues.” “We have a health care system that is seriously broken with very sig-nificant disparities in communities and a workforce that doesn’t match the population,” the dean says. “We have faith that if Hughes students are intentional about creating the path, taking the right courses, buckling down to study and taking advantage of opportunities, they can be successful in getting into our program and graduate.” “They need to hear that they are needed and people want to help them succeed,” Bankston confirms.
The summer UC Scholars Academy was more than an intellectual opportunity for 11 Hughes High School juniors and seniors. They net-worked, gained essential time-management skills, bonded as a group and continue to support each other, adjusted to dorm life and sharing, learned no question is stupid, boosted their confidence, switched career interests and discovered that GPAs are more important than flaunting designer labels. Gathered over lunch this month, students reunited with academy staff, a grant evaluator and three UC students who want to engage them socially on the university’s campus. They discussed what difference the three weeks in June have made personally, career-wise and academically. “This summer showed me who to hang around with at school,” explains junior Carlos Reese, interested in engineering. “Positive-char-acter people that don’t showboat about what they have, but about their grades.” Initially, junior Mary Ndao “didn’t want to participate in math” at the academy “because I didn’t want to look stupid. I feel I was pushed up against my barrier. I learned to just ask the question and try to get smart-er.” She plans to pursue neurology. Junior Caitlin McLean ”learned how to talk around important [univer-sity] people with correct vocabulary. Now I take AP English and I have expanded my vocabulary and use mature words.” Teetering between studying psychology or psychiatry, exposure to professionals at Cincin-nati Children’s Hospital Medical Center convinced her “to be a psychia-trist to help patients with mental disorders and dispense medicines.” Labeled nosy, junior Adama Diallo now understands “I am just a curi-ous person.” Living on campus was “a reality check for life. High school and college are totally different and we got to see how it actually worked.
L-R: College of Nursing Dean Greer Glazer and Associate
Dean Karen Bankston
Clockwise from front: Caitlin McClean, Hazaiah Yisreal, Adama Diallo, Carlos Reese, Mary Ndao, Kayla Ector, Ganda Kane, Shawn Curry and Paige Jones
continued on back page
Scholars savor more than academics
Photo courtesy of UC Academic Health Center
UC students taking a class from university trustee Rob Richardson Jr. have teamed up to socially acclimate Hughes students to the university campus. An assignment for “Inquiry to Innovation,” the project has become a passion they hope to continue even beyond college. “If it grows to the size they need non students, it would be a good way for me to explore one of my passions that I won’t get in my job as a mechanical engi-neer,” says sophomore Bernhardt Pieter. Carl H. Lindner College of Business senior Patrick Dreier, an accounting ma-jor, was drawn to this semester’s topic of uc game changers “to create a better relationship between UC and the sur-rounding neighborhood and put myself out there. It gives me the opportunity to make a difference.” “We are bringing the two communi-ties together so one is not that isolated place across the street,” says chemical engineering sophomore Zach Hase. “You don’t know what the social as-pect of college life is like until you get there,” according Bernhardt. “One of our research articles says that students with more firsthand knowledge of college experience tend to be more successful.” They plan to mentor this year’s UC Scholars Academy students from
UC students add social note to scholars-academy experienceHughes beginning by escorting them to the last UC home football game. Considering the trio had just met with UC-Hughes Partnership officials
two days earlier and, today, met the actual Hughes students, things have progressed quickly. They are focusing on socialization because the Scholars Academy emphasizes academics and career paths and Hughes students didn’t get a true taste of UC offer-ings during their summer stay. “We’re adding another layer, another component to the academy,” Zach says. “In the beginning when Rob threw out such a broad idea, we thought he was crazy,” according to Bernhardt. Richardson directed them to the UC-Hughes Partnership without leaking his passion for the program. That connection moved things rapidly. The college students quizzed Hughes students about what they would like to do on campus. “We don’t want this to be a program just to be a program,” Zach says. “We want to offer valuable experiences.” They are connecting with Hughes
alumni at UC and building sustainability when UC Scholars Academy graduates mentor younger Hughes students who participate. “This really is the perfect-scale project to begin,” Zach says.
Current Partners• College of Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Service [$]• College of Engineering and Applied Science [$]• College of Nursing [$]• McMicken College of Arts and Sciences [$]• College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning [$]• College of Allied Health Sciences• Carl H. Lindner College of Business [$]• James L. Winkle College of Pharmacy [$]• College of Medicine• UC Research Institute• UC Information Technologies• Procter & Gamble• Cincinnati Children’s Medical Center• General Electric• Marathon Oil
WELCOME NEW PARTNERS• College of Law• UC Office of the Provost/Student Affairs• UC Office of the Provost/Enrollment Management• UC Diversity and Inclusion• UC Health
FUNDERS [$]• UC Office of the President• UC Office of the Provost• Martha Holden Jennings Foundation• US Department of Education
A three-year $600,000 grant from the U.S. De-partment of Education (USDE) deepens the UC-Hughes partnership with after-school support in math, literacy, ACT (American College Test) prep, career exploration and a parent academy. “The goal is to provide experiences for kids below proficient in math and literacy using the existing Hughes structures to make a differ-ence,” according to Dr. Kathie Maynard, the grant’s principle investigator, and an assistant dean in UC’s College of Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services. Creation of a 21st-Century Community Learn-ing Center in Hughes, open 3:30-6 p.m. Mon-day-Thursday beginning in January, closes the gap for 150 struggling students who have not passed reading and math sections of the Ohio proficiency tests or ACT. Specifically, funding will provide: • Four, one-hour individualized sessions of
algebra tutoring weekly for 7th and 8th graders focus on removing math barriers and improving fluency. Dr. Heidi Kloos from UC’s McMicken College of Arts and Sciences, supervises instruc-tion with volunteer tutors. • Weekly two-hour sessions for 9th and 10th graders in literacy aim to increase comprehen-sion, identifying central themes and writing skills within a community framework. Word-Play Creative Writing Center, a non-profit literacy and literary-arts organization, conducts this portion. • Field trips and immersion experiences with five UC colleges, guided by faulty, staff and students prepare high schoolers for college and careers. Upper grades will volunteer alongside UC students with health and community-service providers. Students will develop an Individual-ized Academic Plan for educational, personal and professional goals.
• An ACT preparation course held at the UC Center for Community Engagement pairs each Hughes 11th or 12th grader with a UC student mentor for weekly planning sessions that intro-duce the college campus and connect them to application and scholarship support. • A seven-session parent academy addresses the home learning environment, supporting a college path and social-emotional learning strat-egies led by Dr. Patricia White, executive direc-tor of the non-profit Leadership Scholars. The after-school program was developed by a cross-sector team from Hughes, UC and the community with the hope of eventually serv-ing all levels of Cincinnati Public Schools (CPS) students. Currently, only four percent of CPS students enter UC’s main campus. Only 10 per-cent of minorities earn undergraduate degrees from four-year colleges and less than 13 percent of those are in STEM fields.
$600k US Department of Ed grant opens after-school supports @ Hughes
Academy support grows
• UC-Hughes: Dr. Kathie Maynard513-675-3536/[email protected]
• Newsletter: Cathy Barney513-638-2738/[email protected]
L-R: Patrick Dreier, Bernhardt Pieter and Zach Hase
Scholars savor more than academics continued from frontIn general , kids lack an idea of what’s going to happen after high school.” Dissuaded from nursing, she is still interested in medicine, possibly research. For most, the freedom of college life imparted critical life-balance lessons. “I was so bad at it,” admits junior Hazaiah Yisreal, who vows to combine fashion design and STEM by creating clothes for physicians and patients. “But the program taught me time manage-ment and that I don’t need to stress about being part of everything to get into a good college. It’s not just what you know, but who you know, making connections and networking.” Junior Ganda Kane, who flipped from engineering to Information Technology (IT) since the sum-mer, has employed his networking talents, interning at UC’s College of Education, Criminal Justice and Human Services IT School and as vice president of the Hughes chapter of the INTER-alliance of Greater Cincinnati. “It really showed me the reality of how things work in business.” Senior Shawn Curry is currently completing the Com-mon Application to apply to the University of Cincinnati, also in IT. “The academy showed me that I am more confident and ready to get into college.” Kayla Ector is also a senior and, like Shawn, applying to UC. “The academy helped me see that I am more of an adult than I thought, that I am more mature and there are certain times when you have to go with the punches and tough it out. It surprised me.” She’s kept in touch with UC’s College of Allied Health and Science and plans to become an epidemiologist. Quiet in the boisterous, yet polite, group, Paige Jones, a junior, savors her new-found autonomy. “I am more independent and smarter than I realized” for which she credits the summer program. “I just don’t always speak up – I hold things in.” She plans to merge education and medicine. Most confessed to being pushed outside their comfort zones in the residential immersion. “It was a challenge being away from home and I didn’t think I’d miss my mom that much,” Adama admits. “I was very nervous at first about living away from home and with people you don’t know,” Mary confides. “You have to hang out with people all of the time, and I learned not to be mad about sharing space.” They persevered and, as a result, feel more informed about college life, academic rigors, their career paths, each other and themselves. “They put us at the top of the totem pole,” according to Hazaiah. “When I was asked what’s my name and I kept saying Hazaiah, they got me to say Dr. Yisreal. You really push yourself.”
FoR MoRE iNFoRMAtioN, CoNtACt
Student advice:
• “Stay focused in school if you
go into the program or you’ll get
left behind.” – carlos
• “Do what you’re passionate
about.” – ganda
• “Don’t complain.” – Hazaiah
• “ Everything is not going to go
your way all of the time.” – kayla
• “You’re gonna get pushed to
your limit.” – adama
• “ Be open minded.” – paige
• “Focus more on your grades – a
D is not ok – and GPA.” – Shawn
