March 13, 2003

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Suzanne Ernst (702) 889-8426

New Poster Helps Nevada's Youth Prepare for College

LAS VEGAS, Nevada—The University and Community College System of Nevada has created a poster for K-12 students that provides an organized guide to attending college in Nevada and aims to alleviate the stress of preparing for college.

Created with students, parents, and school administrators in mind, the poster lists milestones and suggestions for academic achievement and sets a timeline for the entire college admissions process. Thanks to funding from EdFund and the Educational Collaborative of Washoe County, 100,000 posters will be distributed to incoming middle and high school students, with an additional 30,000 printed in Spanish.

The poster provides critical information on a number of college-centered topics, including financial assistance, the Millennium Scholarship, and important Web sites and telephone numbers, as well as advises students to begin their quest for academic achievement early, says Associate Vice Chancellor Chris Chairsell, one of the poster's architects.

The idea was conceived by Vice Chancellor Richard Curry, who worked on a similar project while at California State University. “Those materials were well received by students, parents, and school officials as an excellent and convenient source of information,” Dr. Curry says. “I felt a similar but modified project in Nevada would demonstrate UCCSN’s concern for our youth’s academic preparation for success in higher education.”

In addition to Chairsell and Curry, members of the Educational Collaborative of Washoe County and the Clark Count School District provided valuable input on the poster's content.

Chancellor Jane Nichols is optimistic about the poster’s potential to guide young students. “The poster will have a tremendous impact on the way that Nevada families get involved in their children's education,” she says. “It provides a roadmap for parents to talk to school counselors and their child about the courses needed for college. All Nevada families should assume today that their child is headed to college and that the door will be open for them when they get there.”

The Nevada Board of Regents is the elected, 13-member governing body for the University and Community College System of Nevada. Comprising two doctoral granting universities, a state college, four comprehensive community colleges and one environmental research institute, the UCCSN serves the educational and job training needs of the nation's fastest growing state. As Nevada's only system of higher education, the UCCSN provides educational opportunities to more than 93,000 students.

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