Offer to eligible students at Gompers Preparatory Academy, Lincoln High School and The Preuss School UCSD is in effect a full-ride scholarship

More than 30 high school students and their families joined University of California, San Diego Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla last night at a special event in Southeast San Diego to celebrate the launch of a new undergraduate scholarship program at UC San Diego—the Chancellor’s Associates Scholars. The scholarships, which are for students who are accepted to UC San Diego and meet the criteria for the University of California’s Blue + Gold Opportunity Plan, will provide $10,000 a year for four years to eligible graduates of Gompers Preparatory Academy, Lincoln High School and The Preuss School UCSD beginning Fall 2013. These schools, which partner with UC San Diego, work with historically under-served communities to support their youth throughout high school, and prepare them to be college-ready.

During the reception held at Felix’s BBQ with Soul, Khosla shared his vision of expanding outreach to improve the pathway for all qualified students to achieve a higher education. His hope is that this program will serve as a catalyst for the creation of similar initiatives. “We are making a commitment to this community and to our country to make higher education accessible. We want to set an example and that is why we created this scholarship,” said Khosla.

The scholarship program is a multi-year pilot made possible by funding from Chancellor’s Associates, a university donor group. This loyal network of alumni, parents and friends makes an annual investment of $2,500 each, giving the chancellor the flexibility to respond to the university’s most urgent needs and critical priorities.

The Chancellor’s Associates Scholarship, in conjunction with the Blue + Gold plan, should cover the majority of students’ undergraduate educational costs. To be eligible for the scholarships, graduates of the three schools must be accepted at UC San Diego and they must be eligible for the University of California’s Blue + Gold Opportunity Plan. Under the Blue + Gold plan, educational and student services fees will be covered for California residents whose families earn less than $80,000 a year and qualify for financial aid.

At the reception, students and their families were welcomed and congratulated by Khosla, Chancellor’s Associates donors, campus administrators, members of the UC San Diego Black Student Union and the community. Each student received a blue and gold “honor cord” to signify UC San Diego’s desire to make them a part of the Triton family.

“We are confident that this initiative will be a success and we hope to eventually expand the program beyond our partner schools to reach even more students in our community,” added Khosla. “But this is an important initial step.”

UC San Diego’s partnership with all three schools is overseen by the Center for Research in Educational Equity, Assessment and Teaching Excellence (CREATE). CREATE was established as part of the university’s efforts to support local K-12 outreach and college preparation efforts, specifically for students too often underrepresented in college. The center functions like an educational field station, assessing the success of schools like Preuss and applying the principles learned through research and observation to other local schools with under-served students. One of the key aspects of the partnership between UC San Diego and these three schools is the presence of UC San Diego students on each school’s campus. UC San Diego students serve as tutors and interns; they become the face of college, and are seen as positive role models and mentors.