SU to host state GEAR UP conference March 13-15

SU to host state GEAR UP conference March 13-15 March 02, 2006Sara Millersemortim@syr.edu

Syracuse University will host the 2006 NY GEAR UP Conference at the Sheraton Syracuse University Hotel & Conference Center March 13-15. The conference will bring in educators from all over the state and, with the theme “Connecting the Middle Years to College Success,” will feature three days of speakers and workshops for college and high school administrators and interactive exercises for about 85 local GEAR UP students. Daniel Lowengard, superintendent of the Syracuse City School District, will give the conference’s keynote address at a 5:30 p.m. dinner on March 13.

Syracuse GEAR UP, a collaborative effort of SU and the Syracuse City School District, is a program designed to increase the graduation rate and college attendance of students from 16 schools in Syracuse.

Syracuse GEAR UP is part of the national Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) initiative and NY GEAR UP, which help students prepare for college by providing at-risk students with expanded summer school opportunities and school-year college preparation support. In January 2005, the New York State Higher Education Services Corp. (HESC), the administering organization of GEAR UP, awarded a $487,000 grant to SU in recognition of the Syracuse GEAR UP program’s status as a model program in New York and nationwide. It was the largest supplemental NYGEAR UP grant given by HESC that year.

Syracuse GEAR UP currently uses its resources to support nearly 200 Syracuse City School District high school students’ participation in Summer School at SU, a program that helps students who require summer school to pass their classes and prepare for New York State Regents examinations. SU’s other NY GEAR UP activities enhanced by the grant include tutoring; SAT preparation; Summer College, a six-week program at SU thatallows high school students to earn college credit and explore career interests; and Saturday College, a school-year program in which students participate in specialized courses, seminars and field trips.

Syracuse GEAR UP is also aligned with community agencies and business partnerships. The community agencies have been provided technology for these sites to be used by GEAR UP students and families for study and career/college search. Business partnerships include SUNY Upstate Medical University, Le Moyne College, Onondaga Community College and Partners for Education and Business — a consortium of more than 100 local employers in Central New York, all serving students in their college and career search.

Syracuse GEAR UP (http://studentsupport.syr.edu/gearup/gearup.html) is a unit within SU’s Division of Student Support and Retention, which works to enhance student success through student-centered programs, services and assessment.

HESC is the state agency that has been designated by Gov. George E. Pataki to administer the NYGEAR UP program. HESC helps people pay for college by providing a range of financial aid services, including the Tuition Assistance Program and student loan guarantees and by administering New York’s College Savings Program.

For more information on the Syracuse GEAR UP program, visit http://studentsupport.syr.edu/gearup/gearup.php.