Summer 2020
Results
CLEO Summer Institute, June 15 to July 11, 2020 (Carlisle)
Penn State Dickinson Law was selected to host the Council on Legal Education Opportunity, Inc. (CLEO) 2020 Pre-Law Summer Institute from June 15to July 11, 2020. CLEO is the longest-serving national organization committed to diversity in the legal profession. The Pre-Law Summer Institute—a multi-week online and residential program launched in 1968—is designed to introduce students to the skills, knowledge and values essential to their success in law school, including self-directed learning, legal reasoning, writing and the Socratic teaching method. Multicultural graduating seniors or graduates who plan to attend law school in fall 2020 are eligible to participate.
D.C. Social Justice Fellowship (University Park)
This fellowship develops critical pedagogical and equity-oriented advocacy skills both in theory and in practice. Through study of social justice topics, students interrogate personal bias and examine both causes and symptoms of structural oppressions, connecting observations to the campus community and beyond. PSU students participate in a 2-semester long program exploring educational equity in Spring and teaching high school students in Washington, DC in Maymester. While in DC, students continue development and analysis of social justice competencies at Georgetown Law and collaborate with DC-area stakeholders to gather feedback on civic action plans they create.
Partnership for "Sustainable Bridges from Campus to Campus: Retention Models for Underrepresented Engineering and Science Students" (Abington, Altoona, Berks, University Park)
Summer bridge and transition programs serve incoming students from diverse groups under-represented in STEM. Programs are run concurrently across Penn State to create communities of belonging and increase student success. Pre First Year in Engineering and Science, Academic Summer Enhancement, Engineering Ahead, Jump Start and Leadership Conference programs serve over 150 students. Bridge programs increase grades in the first math course, first year GPA, entry into STEM. PreF increased graduation rates to 68% compared to 44% for UP students who don't do the PreF program.
Resiliency in Engineering Education (University Park)
Re·sil·ience: the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness. Gender diversity represents a unique challenge for engineering academic institutions and industry; recent calls for greater representation of women in STEM fields has brought to light many characteristics that make STEM educational environments less desirable or even hostile for women [1-3]. The ELD and Design programs propose the creation of a summer course aimed at building resiliency in women within the college of engineering. The course will provide an experiential learning environment in which women students are exposed to challenging experiences designed to help them thrive and lead in the field of engineering. Specifically, this course is designed to support a woman-led Maker program.
The ACHIEVE Summer Bridge: Facilitating Access and Success at Penn State Abington (Abington)
Abington seeks seed funding for a new summer bridge program for incoming first year ACHIEVE students in Summer 2020. Building on the success of the first academic year of ACHIEVE in 2019-20 (funded by Campus Access and Success), the bridge will support the recruitment and retention of students who are first generation college, low-income and/or from underserved communities in Greater Philadelphia. The program will ensure that ACHIEVE students are empowered to succeed from the beginning of their PSU journey, through a week-long residential experience designed to introduce students to campus life and resources.
The Aspiring Scholars Summer Bridge Program (Berks)
The Aspiring Scholars Summer Bridge Program at Berks assists African American, Hispanic/Latino, first-generation, and/or low-income first-year students in their transition from high school to college. The program seeks to introduce and acclimate students to campus and the college environment in a way that encourages success in the classroom, on campus, and in the community. Through this one-week residential summer bridge program, participants receive classroom-based instruction focused on academic skills, self-reflection activities, and interactive team building activities--serving to support self-awareness, communication, and decision-making skills with the ultimate goal of increased retention and 4- to 6- year graduation rates.