Urban
College Celebrates 10th Anniversary at May 30 Commencement
Marian
Wright Edelman, Children’s Defense Fund President and Founder,
to Deliver Keynote Address
Boston,
Mass., May 30, 2003 - Ninety-eight residents of Boston’s
low-income neighborhoods, most of whom never expected to go to college,
will receive associate degrees, certificates of achievement and
Child Development Associate credentials at the Urban College of
Boston’s May 30 commencement exercises at the Boston Swiss
Hotel.
Marian
Wright Edelman, President and founder of the renowned Children’s
Defense Fund, will deliver the commencement address. Edelman is
celebrated worldwide for her outstanding and effective advocacy
on behalf of disadvantaged and handicapped children. Through the
Children’s Defense Fund she has worked tirelessly on behalf
of children’s welfare, education, rights, and healthcare,
with significant outcomes. She is an educator, reformer and the
first African American woman to practice law.
“We
are thrilled and honored to have Marian Wright Edelman join us to
celebrate the significant accomplishments of our graduates and this
college,” said Dr. Linda Turner, President of the Urban College
of Boston. “She has truly made a difference for children and
families in America and around the world. In my mind, our graduates
personify what she has worked for throughout her distinguished career.
The Urban College is helping inner-city resident and their children
to become empowered through education and to have the opportunity
for a better quality of life.”
The
majority of Urban College graduates have worked for several years,
taking one or two courses a semester, to earn their degrees. Most
have children and are low-income working people who must juggle
the demands of college with jobs, child care and household responsibilities.
Turner
noted that Urban College students persevere because they know that
in today’s world a college degree is essential to moving ahead
in jobs and careers. “The college has a retention rate of
71 percent, which is higher than most colleges serving lower income
students,” she said. “Over the past ten years, Urban
College has come to fill a special niche in the higher education
arena through our success in providing people from disadvantaged
backgrounds with the opportunity to succeed in college.”
A
highlight of the commencement is the presentation of the Robert M.
Coard Scholarship awarded by Endicott College, Beverly, MA, to Urban
College graduate Valda Gabriel Goodwin. This award was first granted
last year by Endicott College to enable Urban College graduates
from Boston's inner city to complete their education at prestigious
Endicott College on Boston's North Shore. Robert Coard is the founder
of the Urban College and a member of the Board of Trustees.
Also,
a list of the students who will benefit this year from the generous
Moses and Hannah Malkin gift to Urban College will be announced.
In 2000, Urban College received $85,000 from Hannah and Moses Malkin
to establish a scholarship fund and build a UCB/ABCD alumni association.
The
Urban College of Boston is a two-year college and the first in the
nation to be established by an antipoverty agency, Action for Boston
Community Development (ABCD). The mission of the Urban College is
to provide higher education opportunities to residents who are "underserved"
by traditional colleges within a supportive environment and a curriculum
that emphasizes career preparation and skill development. More than
700 students are currently enrolled at Urban College and the student
body reflects the ethnic diversity of Boston 's urban neighborhoods.
Many students are the first in their families to attend college.
As one student stated, "Students at the Urban College are people
who didn't just assume they would go to college. They are here against
all odds."
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