BOULDER – On Friday, October 19, the University of Colorado-Boulder will open its doors to 60 Centaurus High School students, who will tour the campus, observe undergraduate courses, dine at the Center for Community, participate in an intramural soccer game, and meet with representatives from various student groups. Participating students will arrive on campus at 10:00 a.m. and depart at 2:15 p.m.
Part of the University of Colorado Boulder’s Public Achievement program, which both empowers K-12 students to find solutions to salient community issues and promotes student retention and access to post-secondary opportunities, the campus visit seeks to introduce participating students to college life. CU undergraduates, who serve as Public Achievement coaches, will join Centaurus students for the duration of their visit. The event will culminate with an undergraduate panel, during which high school students will have the opportunity to pose specific questions about the admissions process and the college experience.
Planned with support from SORCE (Student Outreach Retention Center for Equity) and CU Boulder Outreach Committee, and sponsored by the Institute for Ethical and Civic Engagement, INVST Community Studies, and the School of Education, the campus visit will include opportunities to observe several college classes, including Introduction to Theater, The American Congress, Cognitive Psychology, and Topics in Peace and
Conflict Studies.
Commenting on the event, CU undergraduate and Public Achievement teaching assistant Ace Eckstein said, “I believe the campus visit will be an invaluable experience for Centaurus students. In addition it will provide an opportunity for Public Achievement coaches to establish mentoring relationships with students outside of Centaurus, where they meet each week.”
Director of CU’s Institute for Ethical and Civic Engagement Peter Simons concurs, saying, “While Public Achievement primarily aims to foster a lifelong commitment to civic participation, its secondary outcome is to inspire local K-12 students to graduate from high school and ultimately pursue post-secondary education and careers that align to students’ respective interests. The campus visit therefore is one of several strategies employed to meet these outcomes.”
Administered by the University of Colorado’s Institute for Ethical and Civic Engagement with support from INVST Community Studies, the School of Education, and CU Boulder Outreach Committee, Public Achievement seeks to challenge traditional notions of citizen participation by placing young people in the center of their civic environment.
Launched in January 2008 as part of a statewide civic engagement initiative, the University of Colorado’s Public Achievement program currently involves more than 50 CU undergraduates and nearly 200 K-12 students at Columbine Elementary School in North Boulder and Centaurus High School and Escuela Bilingüe Pioneer in Lafayette.