Final
STAFF SUMMARY OF MEETING

COMMITTEE ON JOINT EDUCATION

Date:03/15/2006
ATTENDANCE
Time:07:40 AM to 08:53 AM
Bacon
Benefield
Place:HCR 0107
Evans
Jones
This Meeting was called to order by
King
Representative Merrifield
Larson
Massey
This Report was prepared by
McKinley
Jennifer Thomsen
Paccione
Penry
Pommer
Rose
Solano
Spence
Todd
Tupa
White
Williams
Merrifield
Windels
X = Present, E = Excused, A = Absent, * = Present after roll call
Bills Addressed: Action Taken:
Colorado Pre-Collegiate Programs-

07:40 AM

The meeting was called to order by the chairman, Representative Merrifield.

07:41 AM

Gully Stanford, Pre-Collegiate Programs Director, Department of Higher Education, introduced himself and provided an overview of pre-collegiate programs in Colorado, noting that the programs are federally funded, state funded, or a combination. He provided two handouts (Attachments A and B). He referred the committee to the Pre-Collegiate Program Directory contained in one of the handouts. He described several pre-collegiate programs, including TRIO programs, AVID, and Colorado Gear Up.

07:51 AM

Scott Mendelsberg, Director Colorado Gear Up, came to the table to describe the Gear Up Program to the committee. He said Gear Up is a federally funded state grant, which is split between operating costs, personnel, and scholarships. Over half of the money goes to students as scholarship money. The mission of Gear Up, he said, is to prepare low-income/low-performing students in grades 7 through 12 for college access and success, as well as to provide scholarship support. He commented on remediation needs of many high school graduates. He noted that Colorado is one of only a few states that provide scholarships under Gear Up. He related a number of statistics about Gear Up participation.


07:56 AM

Jim Henderson, Vice Chancellor for Student Success at the University of Colorado - Colorado Springs (UCCS), came to the table to address the University of Colorado Pre-Collegiate Development Program. He described the criteria for student involvement in the program, noting that first-generation college attending students are served. He said there are five programs, each funded in unique ways. He described the UCCS program, the CU-Boulder program, the University of Colorado at Denver program, the University of Colorado Health Sciences Campus program, and the CU-Roaring Fork program. He responded to questions from the committee.

08:05 AM

Mr. Stanford noted that standards for pre-collegiate programs are listed in the Pre-Collegiate Program Directory. He said that most colleges in Colorado have outreach programs.

08:07 AM

Cynthia Castillo, High Horizons Advisor, came to the table to describe High Horizons. She said the purpose of the program is to make kids feel less intimidated by the entire college entrance process. She said High Horizons works with all students at the schools that participate in the program in group and one-on-one settings. She said High Horizons provides support to counselors, whose workload is very large. Ms. Castillo described the High Horizons Go To College Resource Center, where students can research colleges. She noted that the goal of the program is not just to get students to higher education, but to help students who may not want to continue to higher education decide what they want to do in the future.

08:12 AM

Mike Miles, Assistant Superintendent of the Fountain Fort Carson School District, came to the table to speak about pre-collegiate programs. He related statistics about the education level of parents in his district. He noted that all eighth grade students in his district meet with High Horizons advisors. He said the district offers courses for college credit, and about 350 students participate each year. He commented on career and technical education and community partnerships. Mr. Miles spoke to college admission standards and rigor. He said the district is working on a laptop initiative to provide laptops to all high school students and is also working on a K-14 concept. Mr. Miles responded to comments from the committee.

08:19 AM

Mr. Stanford described the Daniels Fund College Prep Program, noting that the program ended in February 2006.


08:20 AM

Samerawit Serekeberhan, Dilyana Konova, and Wogahta Gebreyesus, seniors at George Washington High School, came to the table to speak to the committee about pre-collegiate programs. They described the programs they participate in at George Washington and explained how the programs have helped them. They noted that the one-on-one help they received through Gear Up was very important. The students answered questions from the committee.

08:25 AM

Mr. Stanford spoke to the issue of engaging male students in pre-collegiate programs. He talked about progress made and challenges faced by pre-collegiate programs. He responded to questions from the committee, including questions about possible loss of federal pre-collegiate dollars in the federal budget proposal and college admission standards. Senator Bacon commented on how complicated the world is for high school students today. Mr. Stanford responded to Senator Bacon's comments, as did Mr. Miles and Mr. Mendelsberg. Mr. Miles commented on the world faced by high school and college graduates and the expectations of that world.

08:47 AM

Representative Merrifield commented on the idea of what is necessary for high school students entering higher education and who decides what is necessary. Mr. Mendelsberg responded to Senator Bacon's comments, speaking to the limitations faced by rural schools. He noted that the Colorado Commission on Higher Education has shown flexibility in the setting of admission standards.

08:53 AM

The committee adjourned.