This content was published: June 9, 2003. Phone numbers, email addresses, and other information may have changed.
Sylvania ROOTS celebrates 21 graduates
Photos and story by James Hill
The Sylvania ROOTS Program honored 21 graduating and transferring students at its end of the year celebration on Thursday, June 5 at the Sylvania Campus. The celebration featured a keynote speech by Claire Oliveros, Multicultural Center coordinator, about her experiences and how to cultivate change through education. Also, there were presentations from Miriam Friedman, director of the program; Alice Jacobson, Sylvania executive dean, gave a review of the year; Diane Mulligan, division dean of student support services, recognized those who have given support and ackowledged outstanding academic performances; and several students shared personal stories."Students in the Sylvania ROOTS Program have surpassed my own (very high) expectations in terms of academic standing, persistence and focus on the completion of their goals," Friedman said. "Students have come to Sylvania, shared their strengths with us, received educational nourishment and are now growing in amazing ways."Here are a few facts about this year’s program: 56 students made Honor’s, Dean’s and/or President’s lists, have helped students access more than 1,000 hours of tutoring services on campus, 73 percent of the students remained in the program compared to 39 percent of Sylvania’s general population of students completing their degrees, able to award $35,000 in supplemental grant aid for the program, and help students access more than $24,000 in scholarship money.The Sylvania ROOTS Program is a federally funded TRiO program. It was established to help low-income Americans enter college, graduate and move on to a better life. There are currently more than 1,900 TRiO programs in the country, serving almost 700,000 students.The federal grant provides an initial annual funding base of $219,362. The grant, besides staff and office expenses, provides for informational workshops, cultural enrichment activities, peer support groups, study skills classes, and visits to four-year institutions around the state.
About James Hill
James G. Hill, an award-winning journalist and public relations writer, is the Director of Public Relations at Portland Community College. A graduate of Portland State University, James has worked as a section editor for the Newberg Graphic... more »