University at Albany-Albany High School

launch 2007-08 tutoring, mentoring initiative

ALBANY, N.Y. (October 1, 2007) -- The University at Albany-Albany High School Alliance for Young Talent on Monday held the 2007-08 kickoff for the high school’s Learning Center, a tutoring and mentoring program bolstered by a $15,000 grant from The Community Foundation for the Capital Region’s Standish Family Fund.

The alliance was created in 2006 to strengthen the relationship between Albany High School and UAlbany. Faculty from both institutions work to put together programs and tutoring sessions to create an atmosphere that will help prepare high school students for college. The Standish Family Fund grant will help develop tutoring and mentoring programs at the Learning Center, which began as a pilot program in 2006 and now is a permanent resource at Albany High.

More than 50 UAlbany students have signed up to participate as tutors and mentors for about 300 Albany High School students during the 2007-08 school year.

“We are grateful to our partners at the University at Albany, and to the Standish family, for their outstanding support of our students at Albany High School,” said City School District of Albany Superintendent Eva C. Joseph, Ed.D. “The Learning Center is an excellent resource that provides our students access to 1-on-1 academic assistance as well as mentoring relationships that offer valuable insight into the college experience.

The Community Foundation for the Capital Region’s Standish Family Fund was established in 2003 to strengthen the region that has been the family’s home for generations. The fund focuses on education and youth, two areas with the greatest potential to shape the future of the Capital Region.

“Through the alliance between UAlbany and Albany High School, we are able to help students reach their goals and dreams, and at the same time make a significant contribution to the Albany community,” said James Anderson, UAlbany vice president for student success.

“The University is both grateful and honored to have been awarded the grant from the Standish Family Fund,” he said. “It suggests that the alliance is recognized as an important and valuable initiative.”

The University at Albany’s broad mission of excellence in undergraduate and graduate education, research and public service engages 17,000 diverse students in 10 schools and colleges, including the Honors College. For more information about this internationally ranked institution, including a list of Faculty Experts, visit the University at Albany.

The City School District of Albany serves almost 9,400 students in 19 elementary, middle and high schools. The district includes several magnet schools and programs, as well as other innovative academic opportunities for students in addition to neighborhood schools. The district is more than halfway through its comprehensive facilities project to newly build and/or renovate nearly all of its elementary and middle schools. The ultimate goal of the facilities project is to provide schools with the resources necessary to help students succeed in the 21st century.