Partnerships with Rowan and Rutgers open college classrooms to LEAP students 08/31/09

New partnerships with Rutgers University and Rowan University are creating an exceptional opportunity for LEAP Academy high school students to study in college classrooms this semester.  Beginning this week, 26 LEAP students in grades 10-12 will enroll in undergraduate courses at Rutgers and Rowan as part of LEAP’s new Dual-Enrollment Program and earn both high school and college credits.  Both programs are free of charge for LEAP students. 

“These partnerships are creating a more comprehensive high school experience for LEAP students,” said Carmen Ubarry-Rivera, Senior Administrator for the Pre College Office, which is supervising the programs.  “On-site college classes will introduce students to the rigor of college academics and better prepare them for the transition into higher education.”

Twenty LEAP students are enrolling in math and science courses at Rowan, offered during daytime and evening hours at the University’s Camden campus on Cooper Street.  The Rowan partnership with LEAP is one of several that will open classrooms to economically disadvantaged high school students across South Jersey in an effort to prepare them to attend a college or university.  The program is made possible by a grant from the New Jersey Commission on Higher Education. 

On August 26th, these 20 students and their parents attended a special orientation program at Rowan.  At the event, LEAP students met current undergraduates, toured the campus and classrooms, and registered for classes like Algebra or Biology. 

José Napoleon, a senior at LEAP, has enrolled in Human Biology at Rowan and is thrilled to get a head start on his college academics.  “It’s exciting.  It’s going to be a big help because not a lot of students get this opportunity,” said José, Vice President of the LEAP National Honor Society with a 4.26 GPA.  “Being one of the first students to participate is a privilege and it shows LEAP cares about its students.  It’s an incentive to pursue my education.”

Meanwhile, an additional six LEAP students will participate in the Rutgers/LEAP Dual-Credit Accelerated College Program and earn college credits at Rutgers–Camden.  Students are enrolling in one of two Urban Studies courses and will participate in a special Rutgers orientation on September 1st, prior to the start of their classes. 

These dual-enrollment programs are just one of the many college awareness initiatives LEAP students are taking part in this year.  Through overnight trips sponsored by the Pre College Office, students will have the opportunity to visit over a dozen college campuses from North Jersey to Washington D.C.  Two of these four trips will include visits to National college fairs in Washington and Atlantic City, which will introduce students to hundreds of other schools across the country. 

Students will also take advantage of the LEAP Academy’s own College Fair, scheduled for November 11th.  The Pre College Office hopes to have as many as 50 local and regional colleges and universities attend both a day and evening session, allowing parents and other local Camden High schools to attend.  Click here to see photos