Twenty-eight teen-agers associated with the New York City agency Boys Harbor will attend Cornell University's Summer College, from June 22 to Aug. 6, on scholarship support from an anonymous donor. Six students from Central Park East High School and University Heights (Bronx) High School in New York also are coming to Summer College with scholarship support from the Uris Foundation. From Jefferson Davis High School in Houston, six students will spend their summer at Cornell thanks to the generosity of major corporations, such as Aetna, Tenneco and Continental Airlines. And just this year, two new contributors have joined the list of Summer College's partners: Salomon Brothers Foundation, which will support three students from the Paul Robeson High School in Brooklyn, and Bloomberg Financial Markets, which will sponsor a student from New York City.

These partnerships with social agencies, foundations, corporations, high schools and generous benefactors have made it possible for over 300 disadvantaged students -- of ethnically and racially diverse backgrounds -- to attend Cornell's Summer College since 1992.

The oldest pre-college program in the nation, Summer College is a challenging indoctrination into college life. Students take college-level courses for letter grades and credit, which can be applied toward an undergraduate degree at Cornell or other schools. In addition, students participate in career exploration seminars and workshops on the college admission process.

For some 550 students expected to attend Summer College, the trip to Cornell would not be possible without scholarship support. Tuition for Summer College is $4,800.

That's why these partnerships are so important, says Summer College Director Abby Eller. "The partnerships and scholarship support reflect the goals of corporations, social agencies and the education sector to support underrepresented and economically disadvantaged students in their pursuit of a college education," she said. "These partnerships make the Summer College experience a reality for many students."

Since Summer College began more than 30 years ago, it has made diversity of student participants a priority. Eller has pursued these partnerships to help make the program more accessible to disadvantaged teens. One of Summer College's most successful relationships is the one it has with Teach for America and Jefferson Davis High School. The partnership was recently selected by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) as one of the top college-secondary school partnerships in the country.

Cornell alumna Susan Miller, a science teacher at Houston's Jefferson Davis High School and a member of Teach for America, wanted her students to have aspirations for college, and she decided providing them an opportunity to participate in the Cornell program was a way to achieve that goal.

While many of her students possessed the academic skills and scores to attend Summer College, they lacked the financial support for the tuition. That would change as Miller and two other members of Teach for America, along with Jefferson Davis students themselves, called on corporations and others to invest in the education of area young people.

Support for the program was overwhelming and, in 1993, Jefferson Davis, located in one of Houston's poorer neighborhoods, was able to send seven students to Summer College. Since then, 15 students have attended the program and six more are enrolled in this year's Summer College.

Daniel Reyes was a 1994 Summer College student from Jefferson Davis. "He saw a different world at Cornell," said his mother, Maria Nu–ez. "We've been living in the inner city, the poorest part of town, all our life. Cornell opened his eyes to the world and he didn't want to come back home. Daniel got an opportunity I didn't have -- to educate himself."

Reyes, who is working in construction this summer in Colorado, now attends Manhattan College in Riverdale, N.Y., on a scholarship.

Boys Harbor has enabled 140 New York City youths to participate in Summer College since 1992.

"Our students are very interested in attending the Cornell program because they know it will enable them to perform better when they do go on to college," said Sandra Owen, assistant director of Boys Harbor. "The partnership with Summer College has been extremely beneficial for all of us."

"If American businesses are supposed to be leaders in society then, it's important that we become involved in projects like making the education of our youth a reality," said Beverly Warner, manager of school partnership at Salomon Brothers, which is sponsoring three Summer College students this year.

Additional partners with Summer College are Municipal Bond Investors Assurance Corp., General Mills, Nestle Research and Development and Jon Kopita, an educational consultant in New York City who matches students with philanthropists.