May 27, 2003

Media Contact: Edward LaMeire (760) 891-0417 elameire@ucsd.edu or Michael Dabney (858) 822-3432

SAN DIEGO – What can parents do to keep their children on track for college?  More than 800 parents in San Diego County found out when they attended the College Expo (…for Parents!) event held recently at the University of California, San Diego. The event, the first comprehensive college information gathering of its kind in the county for parents, was the result of a year-long collaboration involving more than two dozen academic outreach programs in the area to disseminate up-to-date information on numerous topics regarding college preparation.

The free event, open to parents of middle school and high school parents and their children, drew between 800 and 1,000 participants who attended workshops (conducted in Spanish and English) and visited information booths to receive details on college admissions requirements, college financial aid, academic testing requirements, community parental support groups, homework tips, and other college-prep details.

“We all knew that this was truly a needed event from the inquiries we had been receiving from parents,” said Nicole Jackson, assistant director of the Early Academic Outreach Program at UCSD who coordinated the coalition of area colleges, universities and outreach programs sponsoring the event. “Parents want to know, especially in light of the economy, what they can do to keep their children on track for college,” she added as she looked upon numerous parents and their children poring over college and outreach information at the event.

Another organizer of the expo, Linda Doughty, director of the California Student Opportunity and Access Program, echoes Jackson’s comments: “Not only are mothers and fathers concerned about the actual cost of college, but they know that a college education will pay huge dividends for their kids.  The expo gives parents the opportunity to receive important information from academic outreach and college experts, and it makes it even more appealing that participants can choose between English and Spanish presentations.”

A similar event for parents is anticipated for next year, the organizers say, during which they predict the event may double in attendance.  “The demand for this type of information is obviously out there,” adds Rafael Hernandez, director of the Early Academic Outreach Program at UCSD.