College Retention a Priority for Students in Need of Extra Support

At its year end celebration of Project Access on May 7, 2015, St. Francis College announced new scholarships for students in the program as an added incentive to promote higher retention rates.

Project Access is a College program that provides extra tutoring, mentoring, and monitoring for students who may not be totally prepared for the college experience.

"At St. Francis College, we understand that everyone who comes out of high school may not be ready for the pressure and educational commitment required to succeed at the college level," said Director of the Academic Enhancement Center and Project Access Program Stefan Spezio. "It's our mission to bring those students up to a level where they can not only complete the work, but thrive. These new scholarships are another way to remove hurdles for our students that may keep them from graduating."

Phil Taitt '16, a former member of the program, spoke at the event. He told the students it was important for him to share his story as proof of how successful the program can be. His words were a reminder to the students of their own abilities, saying that sometimes it might take longer to do things, but it doesn't mean they're not smart. He also told them that they didn't have to be perfect at everything, they only have to find what they can do great.

The scholarships provide an added $2,000 per student and begin after freshman year. The scholarships remain in place as long as each student makes progress towards their degree and maintains a competitive grade point average.

The six students who earned the first round of scholarships are: Marie Barrett, Andrea Couchon, Carvel Crossmanm, Ayomiposi Makinde, Andrew Nestor, and Blake Timmons.

"I wanted to include my congratulations to all of the Fall 2014 Access cohort for completing their freshman year and encourage them to remain as involved as possible in SFC life as they move on to sophomore year," said Monica Michalski, Assistant Dean of Freshman Studies. "I am especially proud of our inaugural Project Access scholars group as they have demonstrated the ideals of the Access program, namely rising above their potential. I look forward to their continued success."

Over the past 11 years more than 1,100 students have been helped by Project Access.

St. Francis College, founded in 1859 by the Franciscan Brothers of Brooklyn, is located in Brooklyn Heights, N.Y. Since its founding, the College has pursued its Franciscan mission to provide an affordable, high-quality education to students from New York City's five boroughs and beyond.

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St. Francis College, 180 Remsen Street, Brooklyn Heights, NY 11201
www.sfc.edu