Programs
Projects
Scholarships
About Us
 Academic Outreach — Programs
Osher Reentry Scholarship Program Continuing Education was awarded $50,000 from the Bernard Osher Foundation in the summer of 2006 to establish the Osher Reentry Scholarship Program. The program is administered by Academic Outreach in collaboration with Continuing Education and the Women's Resource Center at the University of Utah. The Osher Reentry Scholarship Program funds 25 scholarships for students from throughout the state of Utah with financial need between the ages of 25 and 50 whose collegiate studies were interrupted for several years and who now wish to resume their studies and complete a four-year baccalaureate degree. Valued at $2,000 per student annually, the scholarships cover over half of full-time tuition costs for the year. Apply for the Osher Reentry Scholarship. Academic Outreach, the Adelante Partnership, and Youth Education within Continuing Education collaborated to create the Adelante Club U Summer Camps. The Adelante partnership attempts to implement a college awareness and preparatory partnership beginning at the earliest academic level—kindergarten and continuing through sixth grade. This is accomplished in part through week-long Club U Summer Camps through Youth Education. Jackson Elementary students have the opportunity to explore math, science, engineering, art, and nature through hands-on activities, such as exploring the natural world in "Lady Bugs and Lily Pads," or sailing the Great Salt Lake in "Pirates of the Salt Lake Valley," or discovering amazing facts about stars, planets, meteors, asteroids, and our own earth in "Space Aces." Participants have positive, fun learning experiences outside of the classroom, while at the same time becoming familiar with the University campus. Consequently, and as research suggests, students begin to see higher education as an option for their future, which is the purpose of the program. This is reinforced by their little red t-shirts which proclaim FUTURE COLLEGE STUDENT! Tuition Assistance Scholarships to Youth Education Academic Outreach partners with Youth Education within Continuing Education at the University of Utah, to provide tuition assistance for youth from Salt Lake City's west side to attend Youth Education Summer Programs. Without tuition assistance, these promising young people might not otherwise be able to attend Youth Education Programs. Nate Friedman, the coordinator for Youth Education Summer Programs, stated that "I heard overwhelmingly positive remarks from parents and students expressing their gratitude for an experience they would not have had without scholarships." A mother of one of the students expressed a common theme: "After attending College Days, [my son] now wants to attend the University of Utah. This experience made him want to go to college." Academic Outreach collaborated with Zions Bank and the English Language Institute (ELI) within Continuing Education to launch an English as a Second Language (ESL) scholarship program in January of 2005. The Zions Bank-ELI Scholarship Program provides professional level English language training for Spanish-speaking Latinos/as as well as speakers of other languages who are graduates of Salt Lake valley ESL programs and who are interested in enhancing their English language skills and employment opportunities. The scholarship was established to minimize costs for training in advanced levels of English with an emphasis on language skills required for the workplace, professional occupations, and financial literacy. Details may be found on the ELI page here. Utah College Advising Corps through the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Academic Outreach worked in collaboration with Continuing Education on a $1,000,000 grant which was recently awarded by the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation to establish the Utah College Advising Corps. The Utah College Advising Corps is a university-based, state-wide college access program which will focus on reaching out to first generation students, students of color, and other students facing substantial barriers with regard to the necessary steps to enter an institution of higher education. The goal of this program is to encourage all Utah high school students to participate in the various higher education opportunities available to them through the state's nine colleges and universities. Founded on the idea that all of Utah's students should have an equitable opportunity to be prepared for and succeed in a college or university, mentors will guide high school students through the test preparation, application, and financial aid process to ensure that Utah's high school students understand that higher education is accessible and is an attainable goal. In early Safe Passage and Safe Passage Steering Committee meetings, a need was identified for a peer mentoring program for students of color on campus in various capacities. Academic Outreach partnered with the Associate Vice President for Diversity to hire the first CESA Peer Mentor/Intern in the Spring of 2007. Academic Outreach hopes to expand this collaboration in coming years. |
