Ivy League Connection

Monday, June 30, 2008

Some photos from our sendoff of the Columbia and Dartmouth students, the arrival at Dartmouth, two of our Summer Enrichment at Dartmouth (SEAD) students, JP and Brandon, and one of our special interviewers, attorney Ismail Ramsey.

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About Us

The goal of The Ivy League Connection is to expand the college going culture in the West Contra Costa Unified School District by providing the students of the WCCUSD with the opportunity to participate in summer enrichment programs hosted by highly selective universities.

This effort emphasizes students’ readiness and highlights that teachers have and will continue to produce outstanding students ready to participate in the rigorous programs offered each summer by the Ivy League.

Upon their return from these programs, our students are encouraged to become campus leaders and promote increased awareness of academic opportunities. By becoming campus leaders, they will also instill the value of giving service and encourage the local community to become stronger partners with our schools.

The Ivy League Connection is all about giving back.

The WCCUSD is a diverse, urban school district which has managed to survive through incredible financial adversity (including bankruptcy) for the past two decades. Despite a myriad of obstacles, students have persevered and been resilient in staying focused and not making excuses relating to student achievement. Nonetheless, a great majority of students have not had exposure to the thousands of colleges that exist. The Ivy League Connection is a metaphor for establishing that connection and opening gateways to ensure that more students are conscious about becoming part of a college-going culture.

This endeavor creates an institution with an innovative approach and provides a model for school board members to utilize regarding how to deploy District resources to underwrite student participation in summer enrichment and leadership programs on college campuses. The goal is to significantly boost scholarship in our District by introducing the concept and awareness that outstanding students of talent and high potential will benefit from participating in stimulating summer enrichment programs and that others will also profit when they share their experiences with them upon their return.

Don Gosney

(510) 233-2060 (home)

(510) 685-2403 (mobile)

dongosney@comcast.net

Madeline Kronenberg

(510) 527-9446 (home)

(510) 334-9646 (cell)

mkronen@aol.com

What we do:

Send high school students (with staff chaperones) from our large, diverse urban school district to Ivy League summer programs

How long? 11 years (starting summer 2005)

How many students?

2006 – 14 students

2007 – 22 students

2008 – 33 students

2009 – 27 students

2010 – 29 students

2011 – 34 students

2012 – 42 students

2013 – 38 students

2014 – 41 students

2015 – 33 students

2016 – 22 students

Which programs?

Dartmouth College

Summer Enrichment at Dartmouth

Brown University

Leadership Institute:

Women and Leadership

Leadership and the Civil Rights Movement

Leadership and Conflict Resolution

Pre-College Programs:

Introduction to Psychology

International Financial Markets and Investments

Techniques in DNA-Based Biotechnology

How a Nation's Economy Works: An Introduction to Macroeconomics

University of Pennsylvania

Summer High School Program:

Theatre Workshop

Forensic Science Academy

Biomedical Research Academy

Experimental Physics Research Academy

Social Justice Research Academy

Cornell University

Summer College for High School Students:

Freedom and Justice: The Law in Theory and Practice

Democracy and its Discontents: Political Traditions in the United States

Psychology: The Individual and the Social World

Body, Mind and Health: Perspectives for Future Medical Professionals

Hotel Operations Management: Tactics for Profitability

Columbia University

Summer Program for High School Students:

Investigations in Theoretical and Experimental Physics

Survey of Modern Mathematics

New York City from Colonial Outpost to World Capital: An Urban Case Study

Intensive Seminars in Modern Chemistry

American Presidential Power at Home and Abroad: from George Washington to Barack Obama

Constitutional Law

Introduction to Business, Finance and Economics

Yale University

Ivy Scholars

A Study of Grand Strategy

Yale Young Global Scholars

Studies in Grand Strategy

Vanderbilt University

Vanderbilt Summer Academy

World Religions

Lived Religions: The Abrahamic Faiths

Pharmacology: How Drugs Work

Mystery Writing

Med School 101

Principles of Engineering

Special Topics in Math

How we do it:

Identify students --

Teacher/counselor recommendations and then interviews by community members and/or alums

Work with families --

Many, many, many personal contacts (almost daily with everyone) with us, and their counselors;

Monitoring of grades;

Mandatory group meetings;

Networking by hosting formal dinners with alums and sponsors where students are speakers

And:

· Connect students to tutors, college counselors, college fairs, local alums (roundtables with prospective students and alums)

· Meet and connect with Ivy and selective school admission staff to bring their programs into the District  

· Raise funds to make it all happen 