Beginning Monday, March 10, the students will take part in the Project GRAD Japan Institute, where they will learn Japanese language, culture and art, while at the same time getting a taste of what it is like to go to college.

"The faculty and students at CSUN are thrilled to welcome the high school students to our campus," said Maureen Rubin, director of CSUN's Center for Community-Service Learning and the institute coordinator.

"These young people are coming from a high school that is 98 percent Latino," Rubin said. "They are going to have an opportunity to experience a whole new world involving Japanese language and culture. It should be very exciting."

The students' days will begin each morning at 9:15 a.m. and conclude at 3 p.m.

In addition to classes in Japanese language, culture and art taught by Northridge faculty - including modern and classical languages professor Akiko Hirota, art professor Juliann Wolfgram and librarian Jack Kranz - the students will take field trips to Little Tokyo and the Japanese American Museum. They will also take campus tours, participate in networking lunches and be responsible for Internet research projects.

"The faculty have really put together an exciting, challenging and provocative curriculum that should motive the students to learn about other cultures," Rubin said. "This is the kind of thing that happens in college and we hope this taste will make them hungry for more."

The Project GRAD Japan Institute is being put on by CSUN's Center for Community-Service Learning in conjunction with Project GRAD Los Angeles. Project GRAD Los Angeles is an innovative early college outreach program that works with K-12 teachers, administrators, parents, community leaders and businesses to increase the number of students entering and succeeding in college.

Project GRAD Los Angeles requires high school students in its college scholarship and preparation program to complete two college-based institutes as well as other projects. Once they graduate, they are eligible for scholarships of up to $6,000.

Launched in 1998, CSUN's Center for Community-Service Learning aims to inspire, encourage and support students and faculty in their pursuit of academic excellence through involvement in meaningful community service.

For more information about the CSUN's Center for Community-Service Learning or the Project GRAD Japan Institute, call (818) 677-7395.

California State University, Northridge has more than 31,500 full- and part-time students and offers 59 bachelor's and 41 master's degrees as well as 28 education credential programs. Founded in 1958, it is the only four-year university in the San Fernando Valley and the fourth largest in the 23-campus CSU system. The Western Association of Schools and Colleges recently said CSUN "stands as a model to other public urban institutions of higher education."