The USF College of Education Sees Diversity as a Priority

TAMPA (May 9, 2005) – The University Of South Florida’s College Of Education is making numerous efforts towards the recruitment and retention of a diverse student body. Projects such as ECLIPSE, Upward Bound, CAMP, ExCEED and Project TRUST are encouraging minority students to pursue post-secondary education and enroll in programs offered by the College of Education and USF.

The College of Education has received a grant for Project ECLIPSE which is headed by Brenda Townsend, the Principal Investigator of the project. Project ECLIPSE is a 4 year project designed to recruit and prepare a cross-cultural cohort of ethnic minority and majority scholars for careers as urban special education researchers and teacher-educators.  The project is a leadership program mainly focused on PhD students. Six scholars representing African American, Hispanic/Latino, Native American, Asian, and European American will be recruited as a learning community committed to teacher education and research that responds to the needs of culturally and linguistically diverse children, youth, and their families. 

Upward Bound, spear-headed by Bob Davis as the Principal Investigator, is also a grant-funded program aimed at pre-college students. The program recruits low-income, potential first generation college students to pursue higher education. This past year 63 Upward Bound Bridged students applied to post-secondary schools and all were accepted; 36 of those students will be attending USF. Approximately 78.8% of the students enrolled for the 2004-2005 year were African-American, 7.6% White, 9.1% Hispanic, 3.0% Asian, and 0.8% each of Indians and Albanians. The gender breakdown was 68.9% female and 31.1% male. The students enrolled came from Hillsborough, Manatee, Pinellas, and Polk counties. In 2003 and 2004 post-secondary schools graduated 17 Upward Bound Bridged students, and 7 of those graduates received their degrees from USF.

CAMP, College Assistance Migrant Program, is administered through the Center for Migrant Education in the Department of Special Education at the University of South Florida. Ann Cranston-Gingras is the Principal Investigator of CAMP; she leads this program which is designed to assist eligible participants from migrant and seasonal farm-worker backgrounds of all ethnicities, in completing their first year of college and transitioning to complete their undergraduate degree. CAMP provides a comprehensive program designed to meet the specific needs of each student in the areas of recruitment and pre-enrollment, academic support, tuition assistance, residential living, career development, mentorship, and cultural and community enrichment. 

Project ExCEED (Expanding Capacity to Enhance Educational Development) was funded for the purpose of implementing a new graduate program at USF that leads to a Masters of Arts in Teaching in Special Education (MAT). The project, led by Principal Investigator Karen Colucci, was designed for individuals who hold an undergraduate degree in something other than special education and want to become a special education teacher. A central mission of Project ExCEED is recruiting students from underrepresented groups and developing teachers who are culturally responsive. Stipends are available to these admitted students who commit to teaching in the field of special education for at least two years.

Teaching and Reaching Urban Students Together, or TRUST, is an OSEP Personnel Preparation Project for undergraduates majoring in Special Education and Communication Sciences and Disorders. Daphne Thomas is the Principal Investigator for TRUST which develops diverse learning communities comprised of both ethnic minority and majority pre-service teachers. The program includes a course on Urban Special Education Issues and Trends, Service Learning, Cross-Cultural Activities and Reflective Journals.

For more information contact the College of Education's Communications Director.