Contact:
Gwen O’Brien
Director of Media Relations
Saint Mary's College
(574) 284-4579
June 27, 2008 (Notre Dame, Ind.)—Saint Mary’s College is one of two independent Indiana higher education institutions to receive grants from JPMorgan Chase Foundation as part of the “Overcoming Barriers and Challenges to Education in Indiana” initiative. Earlier this year, the Independent Colleges of Indiana (ICI) invited its member colleges to submit grant proposals describing how they would identify and develop workable solutions to the challenges and barriers facing students from underrepresented populations in gaining access to, sustaining, and attaining their college degrees. The College learned this week that it was awarded one of the grants.
Saint Mary’s College requested $6,500 and was granted $7,000 to pilot Peer/Team (PT) Mentoring, a mentoring program for Saint Mary’s freshmen and local high school students who are from low-income, underrepresented, and underserved (minority) backgrounds. The “mentees” will be paired with mentors—Saint Mary sophomores, juniors, and seniors.
The primary goals of this mentoring program are to help young women to become more aware of the possibilities a college education offers and to develop the confidence they need to persist in completing their undergraduate degrees. “We are aware that with the increasing costs of higher education talented students from underserved groups at our local community are not contemplating college as a choice”, said Larisa Olin Ortiz, director of Multicultural affairs whose office will facilitate the program. “Our hope is that this mentoring program will help students develop positive relationship with current students and provide the tools, information and a support system that will help them succeed.”
Program participants will engage in a variety of mentoring and personal development activities during the 2008-2009 academic year, including helping to put on the fourth Diverse Students’ Leadership Conference, a three-day conference for the Michiana community that delves into minority and diversity issues. The participants will also identify some of the issues affecting different communities and then develop a community project they will work on throughout the year.
The College will use its connections in the local community (i.e. with schools, youth organizations, etc.) to identify local high school students to be involved in the program. There may be an application process to help complete the selection process. For more information, contact the Office of Multicultural Affairs at (574) 284-4721.
About Saint Mary’s College:
Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame, Ind., is a four-year, Catholic, women’s institution offering five bachelor’s degrees and more than 30 major areas of study. Saint Mary’s College has six nationally accredited academic programs: social work, art, music, teacher education, chemistry and nursing. Saint Mary's College ranks among the nation's top 100 liberal arts colleges in U.S. News & World Report's 2008 annual survey. Founded in 1844, Saint Mary’s is a pioneer in the education of women, and is sponsored by the Sisters of the Holy Cross.
