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UD partners with Thomas Edison Charter School
5:51 p.m., Feb. 3, 2006--Seventh- and eighth-grade students at Thomas A. Edison Charter School in Wilmington filled its auditorium, Tuesday, Jan. 31, to hear Terry Whittaker, UD’s assistant provost for student diversity and success, tell them he was there to help them get into college. Ernesto Lopez, associate director of UD admissions, also was there to field questions.
About 125 uniformed children sat and listened as Charles Hughes, principal of Edison, explained that the rally was the beginning of contact between students and the “best college on the East Coast.” “Five or six years may be a long time for you, but today, you’re going to start thinking about going on to college. This is your chance to start doing the things that will get you there,” Hughes said. Thirteen percent of UD’s undergraduate students are African American, Hispanic, Asian or Native American, and Whittaker is counting on these partnerships to increase those numbers by giving UD access to students, parents and guardians across Delaware to inform them of the kind of academic preparation and noncognitive skills their children need to be admitted to and succeed at UD and other universities.
“How many of you are taking algebra?” About two-thirds of the students in the room raised their hands. “How many want to go to college?” Most of the students in the room raised their hands. “Well, you’ll need algebra and three years of high school math to get into college,” Whittaker said. Then, Whittaker passed out information sheets listing what courses and how many credits the students would have to take and pass in high school just to be considered by UD or any university. “That sheet I just gave you, that’s your paycheck. You’ll be paid for the work you do in high school by becoming eligible for scholarship money for college. Your teachers, counselors and principal will be helping you, but you’ll also have the University of Delaware to guide you,” Whittaker told them. “You’re going to be invited to the University; you’ll talk to students and professors, and we’re going to check to see if you’re following through on the things on that sheet,” he said.
Students wanted to know if UD had cooperative programs, how many courses are required per semester, how many foreign languages can be taken at the same time, what kind of grades are needed to play athletics and what social life is like at UD. At the start of the rally, Whittaker had read a list of facts about UD, including when the University was founded, how many undergraduate students go to UD and how many colleges and majors there are at the University. As the rally came to a close, Whittaker told students one of the most important things they can do to achieve their goals is to listen. He explained that listening is very important in college, and then he began asking them questions. “In what year was UD founded?” Hands went up all over the room. “How many undergraduate students go to UD?” More hands. The auditorium came alive with students’ hands waving in the air. All the questions were answered correctly, and each correct answer was rewarded with a stuffed-animal version of the University’s mascot, YoUDee. “College is going to be open to you if you work for it. Go home and talk to your parents about this,” Hughes told his students. Article by Barbara Garrison Photos by Duane Perry |
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