First YSP Class Enters OSU

FIRST CLASS OF YOUNG SCHOLARS ENTERS OHIO STATE

     COLUMBUS -- Among the 5,850 freshmen enrolling at The Ohio
State University's Columbus campus for the first time this fall,
there are about 100 very special individuals -- young people
whose economic backgrounds would indicate they had a poor chance
of getting to college.  They are members of the first class of
the university's Young Scholars Program to graduate from high
school and enter the university as students.

     Though they are brand new freshmen, they're hardly newcomers
to Ohio State.  Since they were inducted into the program as
sixth graders in the spring of 1988, they have been attending
annual summer institutes on the Columbus campus.  And as Young
Scholars, they have participated in numerous university sponsored
programs and events to help prepare them for college.

     A welcome reception for the YSP freshmen and their parents
or guardians is scheduled for 4 to 6 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 18, at
the Fawcett Center for Tomorrow, 2400 Olentangy River Road.
President E. Gordon Gee and other university officials will be on
hand to greet the Scholars and make brief remarks.  The
reception, which is co-sponsored by Aetna Life and Casualty Co.,
will mark this transition point the Young Scholars Program and
recognize the incoming students and those who have helped prepare
them for this step.

     The Young Scholars Program provides year-round academic,
personal and skill development opportunities for economically
disadvantaged African American, Hispanic, Native American,
Appalachian and selected Asian American students.  Its main
objective is to increase the number of students from
underrepresented minority groups who enroll and succeed in
colleges and universities.  There are approximately 1,960
students in the program including the new college freshmen and
students in grades 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12.  They come from nine
major Ohio cities: Akron, Canton, Cincinnati, Cleveland,
Columbus, Dayton, Lorain, Toledo and Youngstown.

     Young Scholars are guaranteed admission to Ohio State, along
with financial aid, if they successfully complete the program
through high school graduation with a 3.0 or better grade point
average in a college preparatory curriculum.  They come to the
Columbus campus for two-week institutes each summer and take part
in a variety of academic support activities in their hometowns
throughout the year.  There also are programs for their parents.

     Charles Hancock, director of the Young Scholars Program,
said the freshmen Scholars will benefit from the experiences they
have had.  "They're aware of the campus and have made friends
already.  They have a cohort group."

     The YSP staff is not abandoning them either.  Hancock said
the theme for the year, introduced at the summer institute is
"Ife gbobo wa," which means "Bring in the love all around us"
in the African language Youruba.

     Three members of his staff have been assigned full-time
duties to provide extra support and counseling to the scholars.
The advisers will supplement the retention, mentoring and
tutoring services the university offers to all students and will
help the Young Scholars make the adjustment to college.  In some
cases that means meeting special needs.  For instance, two young
women are bringing their babies with them, and have been assisted
in finding housing and child care.

                                #

Contact: Charles Hancock, (614) 292-4884.


[Submitted by: REIDV  (reidv@ccgate.ucomm.ohio-state.edu)
               
Wed, 14 Sep 1994 08:30:44 -0500 (EST)]
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