2008 Woodie Awards
SERVING THE WHOLE STUDENT
Saira Campos
Issue date: 3/15/05 Section: News
- Page 1 of 1
Financial and emotional support is what Albany Perez, a senior Psychology in Health Science major, has received every semester since she enrolled in the College Opportunity Program (COP) at Mercy College.
"They not only advise me regarding my classes, but they also give me emotional as well as financial support, guiding me through every step of the college life," Perez says.
A student can be enrolled in the COP for any of the following three reasons - low income, a poor performance in a placement exam or by the recommendation of an instructor or counselor. Perez was enrolled in the program because she needed financial support, but she like many others in the program needed academic help because English is her second language.
The COP is designed to assist educationally, as well as financially disadvantaged students. It was established at Mercy College by a proposal to the government, which stressed it needed to support this population within the college.
The COP is comparable to programs such as Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP) founded in 1970, Student Support Services Program (SSSP) founded in 1980, Science and Technology Entry Program (STEP) founded in 1987, McNair Scholar Program (McNair) founded in 1995, Upward Bound founded in 1999, and Title V, which is geared towards strengthening Hispanic-serving institutions, was created in 2000.
Perez, 22, is enrolled under Title V, one of the eight programs which fall under the umbrella of COP.
In the current semester, the college received a grant for the foundation of a new program, the College Science Technology Entry Program (CSTEP).
According to Carolyn M. Tragni, assistant vice-president of the program, although COP and CSTEP programs have different criteria because of the funding agencies, both are intended to support the students academically and, when possible, assist financially. "Because the student is unprepared does not mean the student does not have the ability to be successful. Sometimes the student just needs support to catch up, to learn a new language, to study in a country that they are somewhat unfamiliar with. So it isn't that the student isn't bright; it's that the student is challenged by all these other variables," Tragni said.
Since the philosophy of the COP is to "Serve the Whole Student", the program takes responsibility for the whole college experience of every student enrolled in it.
For more information, contact Tragni at (914) 674-7582 or ctragni@mercy.edu via email.
"They not only advise me regarding my classes, but they also give me emotional as well as financial support, guiding me through every step of the college life," Perez says.
A student can be enrolled in the COP for any of the following three reasons - low income, a poor performance in a placement exam or by the recommendation of an instructor or counselor. Perez was enrolled in the program because she needed financial support, but she like many others in the program needed academic help because English is her second language.
The COP is designed to assist educationally, as well as financially disadvantaged students. It was established at Mercy College by a proposal to the government, which stressed it needed to support this population within the college.
The COP is comparable to programs such as Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP) founded in 1970, Student Support Services Program (SSSP) founded in 1980, Science and Technology Entry Program (STEP) founded in 1987, McNair Scholar Program (McNair) founded in 1995, Upward Bound founded in 1999, and Title V, which is geared towards strengthening Hispanic-serving institutions, was created in 2000.
Perez, 22, is enrolled under Title V, one of the eight programs which fall under the umbrella of COP.
In the current semester, the college received a grant for the foundation of a new program, the College Science Technology Entry Program (CSTEP).
According to Carolyn M. Tragni, assistant vice-president of the program, although COP and CSTEP programs have different criteria because of the funding agencies, both are intended to support the students academically and, when possible, assist financially. "Because the student is unprepared does not mean the student does not have the ability to be successful. Sometimes the student just needs support to catch up, to learn a new language, to study in a country that they are somewhat unfamiliar with. So it isn't that the student isn't bright; it's that the student is challenged by all these other variables," Tragni said.
Since the philosophy of the COP is to "Serve the Whole Student", the program takes responsibility for the whole college experience of every student enrolled in it.
For more information, contact Tragni at (914) 674-7582 or ctragni@mercy.edu via email.
Be the first to comment on this story