University Advancement

Public Relations and Strategic Communications

NEWS RELEASE

CSUN to Prepare Fourth Grade Students for College Education

(NORTHRIDGE, Calif., Oct. 30, 2006) -- Nearly 200 fourth grade students will experience college firsthand as they participate in Cal State Northridge’s sixth annual "I’m Going to College" - University Day from 9 to 1:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 3.

University Day is the highlight of the "I’m Going to College" program, a series of classroom activities designed to inspire elementary school students to work towards a college education. Fourth graders from Vaughn Next Century Learning Center in Pacoima will visit the university to academically and financially plan for college.

The daylong event will expose students to college life by directly engaging them in campus and laboratory tours.

The "I’m Going to College" program was initiated in 1990 at Edenvale Elementary School in San Jose, California. Cal State Northridge joined the program in 1998, beginning a collaborative partnership with Vaughn between Northridge’s Student Outreach and Recruitment Services Program, Educational Opportunity Program and Financial Aid Services. Chela Financial, a financial organization based in San Francisco, acts as the primary sponsor.

The program focuses on increasing representation of low-income students and students of color in higher education.

As many other early awareness programs target middle and high school students, studies show that the average child begins to ask "What will I be when I grow up?" at 11 or 12 years of age. "I’m Going to College" seeks to guide children as soon as their interest in future careers and education begins.

The culminating event in the program is the Scholarship Awards Ceremony in which students, teachers and parents are recognized for their accomplishments and achievements. Each student that is admitted to Cal State Northridge upon high school graduation will be awarded a $1,000 scholarship from the Educational Opportunity Program.

For more information, contact Sony Trieu, yield and special events coordinator for Student Outreach and Recruitment Services at (818) 677-5681.

California State University, Northridge has 34,500 full- and part–time students and offers 62 bachelor’s and 50 master’s degrees as well as 28 teaching credential programs. Founded in 1958, CSUN is among the largest single-campus universities in the nation and the only four-year public university in the San Fernando Valley. The university serves as the intellectual, economic and cultural heart of the Valley and beyond.