Public Service Center to support ICSD students

Jennifer Rudolph
Rudolph

The Cornell Public Service Center, partnering with the Office of Academic Diversity Initiatives and the Ithaca City School District (ICSD), will use a New York State Department of Education Science Technology Entry Program (STEP) grant to provide pre-college support to 99 low-income or underrepresented minority ISCD students in grades 7-12.

The grant will provide just under $200,000 a year for five years to hire professional staff and tutors to provide academic enrichment in science and mathematics content areas. Students also will receive college application support to increase the number of historically underrepresented and economically disadvantaged students prepared to enter college and improve their participation rate in science, technology and mathematics (STEM) fields.

“This grant gives us the opportunity to connect traditionally underrepresented and low-income students in our community with resources not only on Cornell’s campus, but also those within our community,” said Jennifer Rudolph, director of Upward Bound and the new STEP program. “We look forward to supporting these students and their families on their path to higher education and successful careers in the STEM fields and licensed professions.”

Said ICSD Superintendent Luvelle Brown: “I am looking forward to the collaboration with Cornell University and others to provide academic skill-building, mentoring and other STEM-related experiences to our young people.”

The Public Service Center program will connect students with local community agencies for job skills, academic support, college application assistance, tutoring/mentoring opportunities, and opportunities to explore Cornell resources and the resources of other colleges.

Instruction will include supervised practical and research training; college admissions counseling; standardized-test preparation; and career awareness/development activities.

The STEP program is slated to launch this fall once staffing is in place. Two full-time positions will be posted this summer on the Cornell careers website.

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