Spartanburg Community College Offers Gateway to College Program For High School Dropouts
September 19, 2010
SPARTANBURG, SC – September 19, 2010 – Spartanburg Community College continues to provide a second chance to high school dropouts and students at risk of dropping out through Gateway to College – a national dropout recovery program.
Gateway to College is designed for young adults, ages 16 to 20, that have dropped out of or are at very high risk of dropping out of high school. Students must meet specific criteria for entrance into the program and will be dually enrolled with their sponsoring high school and SCC, allowing them to earn college credits while completing their high school diploma. The program is slated to serve up to 300 students during its first three years of operation.
“Research has shown that adults with a high school diploma or GED have far greater earning capabilities than those who did not complete high school,” said Eugenia A. Hooker, SCC Gateway to College program director. “This program allows SCC to provide a critical service to young adults that will better prepare them for continuing their education beyond high school and for successful careers in the workplace.”
In the Gateway program, each student receives a detailed, individualized academic plan and ongoing support from a resource specialist who serves as a coach, mentor and advisor. During the students’ first term, they take classes exclusively with other Gateway to College students, including a “college survival and success” course that focuses on study habits, time management, test-taking strategies and other techniques critical to succeeding in college. After the first semester, students are mainstreamed into courses with the other SCC students.
After graduation from the program, students have the opportunity to continue in higher education to achieve a college degree. Nationally, Gateway to College graduates earn an average of 46 college semester credit hours (73 quarter credit hours) as well as their high school diploma – which means the students, on average, are more than two-thirds of the way to a college degree after completing the Gateway program.
SCC began the Gateway to College program in fall of 2009 with a $300,000 start-up grant from the Wal-Mart Foundation and funding from the seven Spartanburg County School Districts. The Gateway to College National Network is part of the Early College High School Initiative, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, in partnership with Carnegie Corporation of New York, The Ford Foundation and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.
The SCC Gateway to College program is now accepting applicants for the spring 2011 semester, beginning January 10. An information session will be held on Monday, September 20, from 4:00 – 7:00 p.m. on SCC’s central campus in the Ledbetter Building, room 253. Reservations are required to attend – call 864-592-4267 or 864-592-4263.
About Spartanburg Community College
SCC offers over 80 academic programs of study including associate degrees, diplomas and certificates plus University Transfer opportunities to four-year universities. SCC provides flexible class scheduling including online classes through SCCOnline, FlexStart classes, evening classes and more. SCC currently serves more than 4,700 students through the college’s credit classes and more than 15,000 students in non-credit classes through SCC’s Corporate and Community Education Division. To learn more, visit www.sccsc.edu.
