Oxnard College, CSUCI, and Oxnard Union High School District enter STEMpacts with students
Oxnard College, California State University, Channel Islands (CSUCI) and Union High School District, along with 70 high school students and their families will gather at the Oxnard College Performing Arts Building 4000 Rose Ave—the Performing Arts Center at Oxnard College. Thursday, May 11, 2017, 6:30 p.m., to enter into a pact. Oxnard Union High School District students will sign a STEMpact with Oxnard College and/or CSUCI, which will require them to maintain a certain grade level, start researching career choices in science, technology, engineering or math (STEM) and complete college preparatory work, among other promises. Middle school students will commit to one of the STEM academies at Hueneme or Channel Islands High School. Channel Islands has the Marine Science Academy and Mechatronics Engineering Academy and Hueneme has the Academy of Engineering and Design. They will also commit to STEMpact once they enter high school.
In return, Oxnard College and CSUCI will guarantee entry into one or both institutions, provided students meet the minimum admission criteria. In January 2017, Oxnard College started its new Promise Program to pay the tuition for local area high school students, including placement in support programs such as the First Year Experience. The institutions will provide a wide-ranging support network, undergraduate mentors, information about financial aid and other academic and emotional guidance to help students successfully enter and complete college.
“As part of STEMpact, CSUCI will provide college students as academic coaches who will help middle and high school students develop social and cultural capital related to going to college,” said CSUCI Professor of Chemistry Phil Hampton, Ph.D. “Families of the STEMpact students may not have gone to college and need support with how to help their children succeed in college,” he added.
The idea behind STEMpact is to create a college-going mentality and provide a clear pathway to college for the high school and middle school students. Designed for underrepresented minorities, the STEMpact program is the result of a collaboration with Oxnard College, CSUCI and Oxnard Union High School District and the Ventura County P-20 Council.
“The Ventura County P-20 Council is committed to building new pathways to higher education. I applaud CSU Channel Islands and Oxnard College for partnering with area middle and high schools on this collaboration that will allow more students to achieve their dreams of a college degree,” said Ventura County Superintendent of Schools Stan Mantooth, Chair of the Ventura County P-20 Council.
With STEMpact, students will agree to embark on one of three pathways to college: 1) Enrolling in Oxnard College and transferring to CSUCI; 2) Enrolling in Oxnard College; or 3) Enrolling in CSUCI as a freshman. Middle school students will participate in a formal ceremony and have a personalized STEMpact contract signed by representatives of CSUCI (Vice President for Business & Financial Affairs Ysabel Trinidad), Oxnard College (President Cynthia Azari), Oxnard Union High School District (Superintendent Penelope DeLeon, Ph.D.) and the superintendents from each students’ middle school.
The STEMpact event will be held Thursday, May 11, 2017, at 6:30 p.m. at the Oxnard Performing Arts Building 4000 Rose Ave—the Performing Arts Center at Oxnard College.