CHICAGO STATE UNIVERSITY
Two recent programs especially demonstrate Chicago State University’s ongoing
commitment to enroll and graduate a diverse population of students: Project Elevate, a
joint project of the Office of Academic Support and the Latino Resource Center, and the
Honors College. Project Elevate and the Honors College are worthy of note because they
represent Chicago State University’s commitment to increase the number of Hispanic
students attending Chicago State University.
Project Elevate
Project Elevate, a grant supported initiative, serves at-risk Hispanic and African
American high school and community college students. The purpose of the program is to
increase the likelihood of students being prepared to enter the university and, once
enrolled, to be successful in their studies. The program has two components: a spring
term ACT preparation in math and English, and summer enrichment classes in English,
math, and reading. During spring 2004, the focus was on ACT preparation for Hispanic
high school seniors; twenty low-income Hispanic students were served. Of these
students 80% showed improvement in math and English in their ACT preparation
courses. All students expressed, via survey, satisfaction with the level of preparation they
received for the ACT.
The summer component of Project Elevate included African American and Hispanic
students who attended small, nurturing enrichment classes in English, math and reading
during the summer months in order to prepare them to pass their placement examinations
in these subjects. Thirty -seven students were served: 11 Hispanic students, 25 African
American students, and 1 Nigerian student. Their success rate in meeting placement
requirements in math and English is illustrated in the table below.
Math 090 Math 095 Math 098 English Reading
Passed 72% Passed 100% Passed 100% Passed 82% Passed 27%
Failed 18% Failed 0 Failed 0 Failed 17% Failed 72%
Incomplete 9% Incomplete 0 Incomplete 0 Incomplete 0 Incomplete 0
Total N 22 10 3 17 11
Of the thirty-seven students served in the summer component, thirty-four enrolled at
Chicago State University. These students are currently receiving additional support
through the Office of Academic Support. The support consists of monitoring students’
academic progress through regular reports about class performance provided by
instructors at six weeks, nine weeks, and 12 weeks. Students whose academic progress is
not satisfactory are given support by advisors in the Office of Academic Support who
help students identify priorities and develop habits of time management that lead to
academic success. Some students are referred to the Student Success Program which
develops students’ study skills. They are also referred to tutoring, if necessary. Midterm
grade reports indicate that the majority of these students are successful in navigating their
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