EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY SCHOLARS

               The following article was published in the Fall 1999 edition of On Target.
               It was written by Anthony Tillman, Executive Associate Dean of Student Life at
               Drew University.

               I do not intend to join the affirmative action debate, but to discuss how New Jersey and Drew
               University have been leaders in educating disadvantaged and at-risk college students and, in
               doing so, have provided their own answer to the debate regarding academic merit and
               accessibility.  The answer is the Educational Opportunity Fund (EOF) program, which has
               worked because it combines the resources of the state with the resources of participating
               institutions in creating a true partnership to provide a true educational opportunity for a
               cohort of its most deserving students.

               A Partnership Between State and Schools.

               EOF, a 30 - year - old partnership between the State of New Jersey Commission on Higher
               Education (CHE) and New Jersey colleges and universities, has provided access to higher
               education and support for highly motivated students who show potential for success but
               who come from families and communities disadvantaged by low income and the lack of access
               to the quality educational preparation necessary to attend college.

               EOF came into existence in New Jersey a year after the 1967 riots in Newark.  The riots were the
               catalysts that brought leading state and community stakeholders together to discuss ways to
               eliminate causes of social upheaval and help people who were deeply rooted in poverty.  A key
               issue in these discussions was the correlation between ability and opportunity.  Many students
               in New Jersey had the motivation and ability to succeed in its colleges and universities but were
               denied the opportunity to participate because of their poor academic preparation and low
               socioeconomic status.  The discussions led to the introduction of  legislation to create EOF,
               which was passed and enacted as the New Jersey Educational Opportunity Fund by the New
               Jersey State Legislature in the summer of 1968.

               In September of that year, 34 institutions of higher education were approved for EOF programs
               on campus and over 1,500 students enrolled as EOF students that year.  Today, 60 EOF programs
               operate at 42 institutions and annually enroll an average of 12,700 students.  The programs are
               divided into four sectors:  independent, four-year senior public, community, and research
               universities and colleges.  All provide access and opportunities for students to improve their
               quality of life through a college education.

               EOF programs are income-based, not race-based, and are as different and distinct as its institutions.
               Each program satisfies a minimum of three operating missions: the institution, the governing
               department-academic or student affairs-and CHE.  Students meet institutional admission criteria
               established for that particular campus as well as state financial eligibility requirements, which
               currently extend up to 200 percent of the federal poverty level.  In New Jersey, the average income
               for an EOF family is $17,500, compared to the state average income of $56,000.  Students in EOF
               come from the state's 30 most distressed school districts or from special-needs school districts.

               Students Must Meet Standards.

              Notwithstanding these presenting issues, EOF students must meet the same standards of
              academic progress and graduation standards as all other students.  This expectation does not
              occur in a serendipitous manner because EOF programs operate from a best practices paradigm
              based on the research involving retention and persistence of college students, particularly the
              at-risk student cohort.  Finally, there are four major components of every program model:

              1) Each is student-centered, inviting students to become part of an EOF "family" structure;
              2) each program stresses student involvement and responsibility; 3) active counseling, tutoring,
                  and student monitoring is stressed; and 4) each program involves a dedicated staff with strong
                   institutional attachments.

              Drew University is a member of the independent sector and has supported an EOF program since
              1970.  In the course of its history, Drew's EOF program, called the Educational Opportunity Scholars
              (EOS) program, has been a leader in admission rates, retention, academic progress standards, and
              grade-point averages.  Data on some of these indices for the past three academic years are provided
              in the tables below:

               Table 1:
               Cumulative Grade-Point Averages
               Greater Than 2.00 for The Academic Year 1995/96; 1996/97; 1997/98

               Academic Year 1997/98  n=86                1996/97  n=85                    1995/96  n=84

                              n                 %                           n                %                     n                 %

               2.01+     32               37                           31              37                     22               26
               2.70+     15               17                           14             17                     27               32
               3.01+     35               41                           31              37                     27               32

               Table 2:
               Credit Completion Ratio

               ACADEMIC YEAR        1997/98                    1996/97                    1995/96

               Attempted                          8109                           7519                        6767
               Earned                                 7533                           6835                        6200
               Percentage                          93                               91                            92

               Table 3:
               Summer Grade-Point Averages

               SUMMER        1997/98 n=22                1996/97  n=21                    1995/96  n=18
               2.961                                                                        3.034                                                             3.200

               In keeping with the mission of CHE, EOF focuses on two goals-providing support for its students'
               academic and social development.  The objectives of these goals are achieved through recruitment
               and admission, summer program initiative, and academic year support services.

               Though encouraged by its mission, the success of EOF has not been easy to accomplish.  Unlike
               many of its New Jersey counterparts, Drew does not provide remedial or basic skills curricula
               designed to gradually move students through various levels of math and language skills development
               courses.  The task of selecting students for participation in the program is a very involved process
               since the average SAT and high school rank required by Drew for regular admission consideration is
               1270 and top 25 percent, compared to students enrolled in the EOS program who have an average SAT
               Score of 950 and a high school rank in the top 50 percent.  For Drew, upwards of 86 percent of its EOF
               population come from schools and communities in high distress school districts.  Without the EOF
               program, these students would not have been admitted to Drew.

               How Are EOF Students Admitted?

               Regarding the admission process, each EOF program is required to enroll a minimum of 10 percent
               of its institution's first-time, full-time New Jersey residents.  EOF students are recruited in basically
               the same way students are admitted through the regular admission process.  However, four features
               distinguish this process from regular admission procedure:

There is an EOF staff member whose primary role is

to recruit students for the program by cultivating
relationships with district high schools, students,
community organizations, and agencies.

Each applicant must have an interview with a member

of  the EOF staff.  It is through this process that we are
able to determine the applicant's level of motivation
and interest in their educational objective and in Drew.
 

Admitted applicants are given an opportunity to

participate in an overnight program on campus before
the due date for admission deposits.
 

A member of admission and financial assistance is

assigned as a liaison to EOF to help process and select
candidates from the applicant pool for EOF consideration.

               Once students enroll in the program, they are required to attend our academic enrichment summer
               program-a key to the success of Drew's EOF program.  This six-week residential program gives
               participants an academic and social orientation to Drew and helps them make the transition from high
               school to college-level work.  During the summer program, students engage in course work that
               provides them with eight credits towards their college degree.  Students are required to take a course
               in writing and composition, small group dynamics, and study skills.

               How Electives Help EOF Students.

               For the past three summers, EOF students have been required to take an elective through our
               summer sessions in the social sciences, arts and humanities, or sciences.  These electives provide
               them with a more realistic view of what they will experience academically during their first year
               in college.  For the past two years, we have incorporated the concept of learning communities into
               the program by connecting the learning objectives of the elective class with assignments in their
               writing and composition courses.  This concept teaches EOF students to look for relationships in
               their courses and to approach them as a group of learning experiences instead of discrete events.
               All courses are taught by Drew faculty and provide students with important collateral understanding
               of faculty expectations.  The success of this model is shown in the 3.10 GPA earned by participants.

               Once the summer program ends, the real work of EOF begins with the commencement of the academic
               year.  The combination of selective programming and delivery of supportive services by EOF staff
               provide students with the opportunity to continue pursuing their academic objectives.  Some examples
               of programming involve collaborative efforts with many of the service offices on campus, including
               Residential Life, Career Services, Financial Assistance, Health Services, and the Registrar.  Through
               these interactions, students are integrated into the fabric of the campus community and are put in
               touch with a network of other support services they need.  Another important support for students
               is advising services.  These services require frequent and assertive contact with first- and second-year
               students.   The exception to this model involves students on academic probation, who must meet with
               their EOF adviser on a weekly schedule.  One important advising tool is the Early Warning Academic
               System developed by EOF that partners faculty in the role of retention by providing staff with frequent
               periodic updates about EOF student academic performance and behavior.  Through early intervention,
               EOF staff are able to address and provide support services that result in more positive and manageable
               outcomes.

               This year, over one-third of all EOF seniors statewide graduated with gradepoint averages
               of 3.20 or better.  And at Drew, 16 of our 20 seniors, or 80 percent, graduated in four years.

               The ultimate objective of the EOF Program at Drew and in New Jersey is to equip students to break the
               cycle of poverty and to improve their quality of life.  The primary tool in this battle is the college degree.
 

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                                                      Copyright © 1999 Anthony Tillman