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Urban College Fair Provides Urban Students with Boost to Pursue Bachelor’s Degree and Beyond Colleges Throughout Boston Metro Region Were Featured at Urban College Fair UCB graduate Paul Dallemand talks with a Labouré College of Nursing representative during UCB's college fair. The annual event affords students with one-on-one time with representatives from the College’s partner institutions. Boston, MA., April 13, 2004 - Over the past ten years, the Urban College of Boston (UCB) has come to fill a special niche in the higher education arena through its success in providing non-traditional students from Boston’s diverse neighborhoods with educational and professional opportunities for a better quality of life. It might be that UCB students should be called extraordinary rather than non-traditional students. After all, it takes no ordinary amount of courage and commitment to earn a degree if you consider a single mother working a full-time, minimum wage job to support her family, language and communication barriers, and having been out of school for several years or on welfare at some point. The majority of the 700 UCB students fit this profile. In recognition of their complicated lives and the demands of work and family, which might otherwise prevent them from attending college, UCB provides its students with a strong base to stay the course through a network of innovative, academic, career-oriented and personal support services. Taking it a step further, UCB builds partnerships with several other area colleges and universities to put a Bachelor’s degree within reach of UCB graduates. Significant transfer agreements and partnerships with Endicott College, Lesley University, UMass Boston College of Public & Community Service, Cambridge College, Wheelock College, Suffolk University, University of Phoenix, Labouré College of Nursing, and Framingham State College enable qualified Urban College graduates to move into a Bachelor’s program at a junior status. The Annual Urban College Fair, held last month at UCB’s main downtown campus, affords students with one-on-one informational sessions with representatives from the College’s partner institutions. Some students are undecided about where they will pursue their Bachelor’s degree but see the college fair as an opportunity to start thinking about the next step on a path toward fulfilling a goal of educational success. A representative from Wheelock College remarked that she was impressed by the level of enthusiasm and remarkable participation of UCB students at the fair. For Dorchester resident Blossom Bingham, who was among the 75 UCB students who attended the fair, the transition into a Bachelor’s program is difficult without these transfer opportunities which recognize UCB courses for full credit. The first in her family to go to college, Blossom will receive her Associate of Arts Degree in Early Childhood Education at the UCB Commencement on June 4th at the Hyatt Regency Boston. By attending college, “I’m setting a trend for my children,” said Blossom. Armed with an Associates degree, she will attend Cambridge College in the fall to pursue a Bachelor’s degree and from there move on towards a Master’s program in psychology with a focus on children. UCB President Dr. Linda Turner noted that the administrative staff and division chairs also attend the college fair to learn more about the programs at other institutions. “Each year an increasing number of UCB students who complete their Associate of Arts Degree are interested in pursuing a Bachelor’s and other degree programs. The college fair is an excellent vehicle for UCB students to get information on transfer opportunities.” Upon receiving his Associate of Arts Degree in Human Services Administration at this year’s Commencement, the next step in the educational path for Paul Dallemand, who maintains a grade point average of 3.6, is a Bachelor’s degree in Nursing at UMass Boston. The fair is designed to make students like Paul, an immigrant from Haiti who two years ago spoke limited English, feel comfortable as they ask questions and familiarize themselves with other degree programs. “The fair is an effort to instill in our students that the Urban College is a starting point to achieving higher educational goals,” said UCB Director of Enrollment Services & Registrar Dr. Henry J. Johnson. As an accredited institution, UCB will continue to expand transfer opportunities with other institutions, which will mean increased access to Bachelor’s and other degree programs for UCB students who complete their Associate of Arts Degrees. The Urban College of Boston (www.urbancollege.edu) is a private, two-year college, offering Associate degrees in Early Childhood Education, General Studies and Human Services Administration, as well as certificates in these and a variety of other career-focused programs. UCB is recognized as a national model in providing a unique curriculum, support services and access to higher educational opportunities, which fit the extraordinary demands of many Boston residents.