At the White House College Opportunity Day of Action summit Thursday, University of California officials announced plans to expand the University’s outreach programs to K-12 schools in California.
The University said it plans to provide transcript evaluation services to 2,600 more California public schools than it currently does and expand enrollment in CalTeach, which prepares University students for jobs in teaching science and mathematics, to cover more than 2,000 UC undergraduates, among other new initiatives.
University officials have said the UC seeks to improve its outreach programs to low-income students, announcing actions such as a partnership between the College Board and the University in recent months. The White House has encouraged colleges to improve their outreach programs and to increase the number of students from disadvantaged backgrounds who graduate from universities.
“The path to college begins long before students set on campus,” President Barack Obama said at the Thursday summit.
The event was the second summit held by the White House this year to address college accessibility. UC President Janet Napolitano attended the first summit in January, pledging to collaborate with the California Community Colleges to streamline the transfer process. The University said it will continue to work with CCC on the process.
The White House said in a statement that during the summit, universities and other educational organizations announced more than 600 actions to help students prepare for and graduate from college. Private grants from donors, such as the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation, will help fund national outreach programs for low- income high school students.
UCLA Chancellor Gene Block had a prior commitment that prevented him from attending the summit last week, university spokesperson Phil Hampton said in an email statement. Chancellors from UC Riverside, UC Berkeley and UC Merced attended the summit.
Compiled by Jeong Park, Bruin senior staff.