Officials at Rutgers University in New Jersey hope that a new pilot program will help lure more minority and low-income students to the state institution.
During his recent annual address before the university, Rutgers’ President Richard L. McCormick announced the launch of the Rutgers Future Scholars Program. According to university officials, school districts in Camden, Newark, New Brunswick, and Piscataway — where Rutgers’ campuses are located — will select a group of eighth graders each year who will receive invitations to campus events, as well as college-planning advice and test preparation. The students will also receive a guarantee of free tuition if they are admitted to Rutgers.
“It really is part of a comprehensive program to work on diversity issues at the university,” says Courtney McAnuff, vice president for enrollment management at Rutgers. “We’re just concerned that there’s not enough opportunity for some of those youngsters who come from urban areas. And the university has made a commitment to the students that they will have no student loans if they go here.”
McAnuff says the university will work jointly with school district officials to identify between 160 and 200 “at-risk” students each year. Officials are expected to finalize selection criteria in coming weeks, McAnuff adds.
Each school year, selected students will be invited to participate in a variety of academic workshops involving environmental sciences, biology and medicine. Rutgers faculty will help design hands-on activities and experiments, McAnuff says.
Officials hope that the program’s various initiatives will encourage these students to perform well in high school and pursue higher education.
“Our first goal is to excite them about higher education and have them think about the opportunities at a university,” McAnuff says. “They will also think about the kind of jobs they can get and what their future would be like if they enter into college.”
