Firstgen Center Provides First-generation Students Support Financially and Beyond <b> by Frank DiMaria </b>

When freshmen step onto a college campus for the first time, they bring a wide range of emotions, from excitement to apprehension. First-generation college students are no exception. But in addition to their range of emotions, first-generation students bring a stigma that’s difficult to shake. The FirstGen Center at Notre Dame College in Euclid, Ohio, offers a support system and strategies to rid them of that stigma.

Putting “community” in Community College by <b> Frank DiMaria </b>

Enrollment vs. Retention – Why Are There So Few Women Engineers? by <b> Frank DiMaria</b>

No More Pencils, No More Books

Fewer than 50 percent of the students at Virginia State University (VSU) have the means to purchase the textbooks needed for their courses. Even with the odds stacked against them, some complete their courses, albeit with great difficulty.

Writing, a Key Component at Binghamton University’s Boot Camp by <b> Frank DiMaria</b>

Some high school seniors are academically well prepared to attend college. Others are woefully underprepared but demonstrate promise. So where do these underprepared students turn to earn a college degree and make their contribution to society?

Staying Connected: Increasingly a Must for succeeding these days by <b> Frank DiMaria</b>

Atone time, the telephone was considered a luxury. But as more and more people and businesses adopted this “new” technology, it became necessary to own one and stay connected to the masses.How could one exist in the 20th century without a phone?

GAO Finds Fraud, Deception and Questionable Marketing Tactics at For-Profits by <b> Frank DiMaria</b>

“We identified four colleges where representatives encouraged our undercover students to commit fraud on their federal financial aid applications, and deceptive or otherwise questionable practices at all 15 colleges related to sales and marketing.” --Gregory D. Kutz, Managing Director, Forensic Audits and Special Investigations, GAO

A New Textbook Publishing Model for the Internet Age by <b> Frank DiMaria</b>

“The biggest barrier to learning on scale is access to information. If we don’t solve that problem, then on scale we are never going to educate the number of people who want to be educated and who are not only capable of excelling but in many ways need that education to improve their quality of life.” --Eric Frank, Co-Founder, Flat World Knowledge

Diversity Initiatives Multifaceted and Productive at UT-Austin by <b> Frank DiMaria</b>

When students returned to the University of Texas (UT)- Austin last fall they found that, for the first time in the school’s history, fewer than half of the fall semester’s first time freshmen were White students. The number of first-time freshmen who identified their ethnicity/ race as “White” on admissions information totaled 47.6 percent.

Putting Volunteer Skills to Work at Harvard by <b> Frank DiMaria</b>

“My goal as a kid trying to live up to the assumed expectations of my parents was that I wanted to make it to Harvard to make mom proud and to be at the best school.” -- Arturo J. Real

Battling Childhood Obesity in Hispanics, Still by <b> Frank DiMaria</b>

In June of 2005, Hispanic Outlook reported on the health of the children living in Rio Grande City, a border town in Starr County, Texas, one of the poorest counties in the U.S. Most of the children living there were Mexican American, and at the time, their rates of obesity were among some of the highest in the nation.

"Students Reach Higher” With Apps Designed to Put Them on a Career Path

"Students can use Hats and Ladders on their own, however, they’ll find greater value if they learn how to use it from a guidance counselor or a teacher. Hats and Ladders helps counselors and teachers restore the wide-eyed optimism students had as youngsters."