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The California State
University and AT&T California Road to College tour stopped in Fresno
today to increase access to college for Bullard High School students.
A $1.6 million four-year contribution from the AT&T Foundation, the
philanthropic arm of AT&T Corp., (NYSE:T) will fund the CSU College
Corps program to provide college advising for 1,000 high school
students, as well as the Road to College bus tour, a statewide education
and outreach campaign centered on improving underserved student access
to the CSU system.
“Supporting education has been a major focus for AT&T for more than a
century, and through the Aspire initiative launched in April, education
is now the key focus of our philanthropy,” said Ken McNeely, president,
AT&T California. “We are driven by helping students succeed – in school,
in the workforce and in life. The Road to College and CSU College Corps
program will provide students in communities across the state with the
tools to succeed and we are pleased to be partnered with CSU.”
Fresno State President John D. Welty and Fresno Unified School District
Michael Hanson spoke at the event, and praised the effort by AT&T to
help improve the college-going rate in the Valley.
More than 150 Bullard students boarded the 40-foot high-impact “wired”
bus. The bus is wrapped with the CSU’s “Road to College” theme, and
completed with Internet-ready laptop computers with links to CSUMentor,
the university’s online planning and application website.
“We know that the best way to help underserved students understand what
it takes to go to college is to reach out into the communities where
they live and go to school,” said CSU Chancellor Charles B. Reed. “The
Road to College is a hands-on experience where students have the
opportunity to see for themselves how to apply, where to get financial
aid, and how to successfully navigate the path to college. We look
forward to seeing these students at CSU campuses in the future.”
During the stop, students were able to explore CSU’s 23 campuses, begin
a student planner, fill out a college application on CSUMentor, and
receive information about financial aid and scholarships.
In addition to the Road to College tour, the AT&T Foundation
contribution will be used to fund the CSU College Corps pilot program,
which will use CSU upper division and graduate students in counseling
and related career programs to offer pre-college advising to underserved
high school students. The program will initially be deployed through CSU
campuses at Los Angeles, San Marcos, Bakersfield, Fresno and East Bay,
with the goal to provide advising to 1,000 ninth through twelfth grade
students during each academic year for four years.
The goal is to augment the work of high school guidance counselors who
are increasingly challenged to provide assistance with pre-college
academic advising and college course preparation because of high demands
on their time for their own coursework, curriculum and mandatory
testing.
CSU’s Road to College tour will run through Oct. 3 to coincide with the
start of the CSU’s application period and with the CSU counselor
conferences aimed at high schools and community college counselors. The
bus will stop at schools, college fairs and counselor conferences in the
Fresno, San Diego, Los Angeles, Pasadena, Sacramento, San Jose and
Oakland areas.
About the California State University
The California State University is the largest system of senior higher
education in the country, with 23 campuses, approximately 450,000
students and 46,000 faculty and staff. Since the system was created in
1961, it has awarded nearly 2.5 million degrees, about 90,000 annually.
Its mission is to provide high-quality, affordable education to meet the
ever-changing needs of the people of California. With its commitment to
excellence, diversity and innovation, the CSU is the university system
that is working for California.
About AT&T
AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) is a premier communications holding company. Its
subsidiaries and affiliates, AT&T operating companies, are the providers
of AT&T services in the United States and around the world. Among their
offerings are the world's most advanced IP-based business communications
services and the nation's leading wireless, high speed Internet access
and voice services. In domestic markets, AT&T is known for the directory
publishing and advertising sales leadership of its Yellow Pages and
YELLOWPAGES.COM organizations, and the AT&T brand is licensed to
innovators in such fields as communications equipment. As part of its
three-screen integration strategy, AT&T is expanding its TV
entertainment offerings. In 2008, AT&T again ranked No. 1 on Fortune
magazine's World's Most Admired Telecommunications Company list and No.
1 on America's Most Admired Telecommunications Company list. Additional
information about AT&T Inc. and the products and services provided by
AT&T subsidiaries and affiliates is available at http://www.att.com
<http://www.att.com/>.
About Philanthropy at AT&T
AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) is committed to advancing education, strengthening
communities and improving lives. Through its philanthropic initiatives
and partnerships, AT&T supports projects that create learning
opportunities; promote academic and economic achievement; and address
community needs. In 2007, AT&T contributed more than $164 million
through corporate-, employee- and AT&T Foundation-giving programs. AT&T
and the AT&T Foundation, the corporate philanthropy organization of
AT&T, combine more than $1.9 billion of historic charitable commitment
to communities across the country.
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