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Dream Big
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Dream Big
Rutgers.
"It's a great opportunity," Martinez says.
"Rutgers is a pretty expensive school.
Getting a free tuition scholarship to it is
pretty amazing."
Working together
As the United States seeks to boost the
number of its young citizens with a college
degree, programs such as RFS wül play an
increasingly important role in fostering
diversity on campus, a number of higher
education leaders say.
"We can't just wait and see what K-12
E
ven though college is several years get here." delivers," says James Madison University
away for 15-year-old Alex Martinez, Martinez — a freshman at the Health President Jonathan Alger, during his
the New Jersey high school freshman Sciences Technology High School in keynote address, "The Future of Diversity
has already gotten a taste of college life. New Brunswick — is getting his college as a Compelling Interest in Higher
"There's a lot more freedom," Martinez experience through a program called Education," at the annual meeting of the
says of his experience attending a high-level Rutgers Future Scholars. National Association of Diversity Officers
psychology class on the New Brunswick Through the program, each year, 200 in Higher Education this past March.
campus of Rutgers University. "Many first-generation college students from Alger helped establish the RFS program
students had their laptops out and taking families of lesser economic means in during his time as senior vice president and
notes. But in high school you can't do that. New Brunswick, Camden, Piscataway general counsel at Rutgers.
There's a lot more rules in high school." and Newark are selected to participate The program — which involves a
Martinez adds, "In college, it's like the in pre-college activities beginning the partnership between Rutgers and school
teachers let you do whatever you want. It's summer before eighth grade. The pre- districts in the communities where Rutgers
your problem if you don't take notes." coUege activities include college entrance is based — was launched in 2008 and
Martinez's college mentor, Katherine exam preparation, mentoring from Rutgers is funded at $1.7 million annually by
Finer, who graduated from Rutgers this students and campus visits. the Rutgers University Foundation and
spring, says by bringing Martinez to her Perhaps more notably, those who corporate sponsors such as Merck and
psychology class, she was able to relate the complete the pre-college activities and are AT&T
message: "This is what needs to be done to deemed "admissible" get free tuition to "We've got to work together across