Menino details the partnership, with (from left) UMass-Boston Chancellor Keith Motley, Ed'78, GB'81; Gary Gottleib, chair of the Boston Private Industry Council; and President Aoun.
Boston high school grads to get an innovative push Boston mayor Thomas Menino, President Aoun, and Boston school superintendent Carol Johnson have announced the launch of an innovative partnership to give Boston public high school graduates a solid foundation for college or the workplace.
Beginning in fall 2009, the pilot program will give Boston high school graduates a rigorously academic first-year college experience, combined with assistance that helps them strengthen their academic, social, and employment skills.
“The stakes are high now,” said Menino during a press conference at Northeastern on November 17. “Our kids need to stay in college and graduate.”
Northeastern, he said, “has a long history of opportunity, a dedication to partnering with the community, and a commitment to the integration of work and learning,” placing it “in a unique position to lead this effort.”
Aoun calls the program “yet another manifestation of Northeastern’s commitment to the city of Boston and its public schools.”
“We are excited about the program design, because it includes such services as coaching, tutoring, mentoring, social and employment skills, and student support,” says Johnson. “It uses time-on-task, context, and structured experience to ensure students meet the expectations and standards of a freshman year.”
At the press conference, Aoun said the new program will accept students who “are not prepared for college. It’s a risk, but it’s a calculated risk.” Through the program, he said, students will attain a level of preparation that allows them to complete their college careers.
Boston graduates who complete the program will earn college credits recognized by partnering institutions. In addition, the program curriculum will meet entry-level job requirements for partner industries, giving students the option of entering the workforce and completing their degrees on a part-time basis.
Northeastern is in talks with businesses and several two- and four-year institutions that would work as program partners throughout the pilot period.
During the current economic downturn, Boston’s institutions of higher education must strengthen their community engagement, Aoun says.
“This is not a time for retrenchment,” he says. “It is a time to redouble our efforts. Creating paths to learning is both a moral obligation and a matter of economic sense. Higher education is the pipeline of intellectual capital that will help Boston and the nation recover and prosper.”
He adds, “Northeastern’s resources have long been at the service of the community, and especially the Boston public schools.”