Fifty-eight high school students from Athens and Atlanta public schools attended a summer institute on campus sponsored by UGA’s Office of Institutional Diversity.
The majority of the students were involved in the Atlanta Project GRAD program, which aims to boost student academic performance, high school graduation and college attendance for students from inner-city schools. Ten of the students who attended the summer institute were with the local Project READY (Reaching Academics Daily) program, which has similar aims for students from Cedar Shoals and Clarke Central high schools.
The students arrived on campus June 4 and stayed in Boggs Hall through June 18. They were welcomed to campus by Arnett C. Mace Jr., senior vice president for academic affairs and provost.
The students-mostly rising juniors and seniors-took daily classes at the Student Learning Center and were able to visit UGA schools and colleges to learn about degree programs offered.
“They were very busy while on campus,” says Keith Parker, associate provost for institutional diversity. “Besides three periods of classes during the day, they had study hall each evening. At the end of the summer institute, they presented academic projects they worked on while they were here.”
The summer institute is an example of ongoing efforts to reach out to students from diverse backgrounds and encourage them to set their sights on a college degree, according to Parker. “Of course, we’d particularly like to encourage them to consider UGA as they plan their futures,” he says.
