The University of Toledo Office of EXCELlence Programs
The Office of EXCELlence is a hub of academic activities and services that reach from an access program beginning in the 7th grade through a high school graduation program and beyond. These programs include: GEAR UP-PREP/TECH, TOLEDO EXCEL, Upward Bound, Student Support Services and the Annual Conference for Aspiring Minority Youth, and are targeted towards students in the Toledo area who are underrepresented in higher education, including African-American, Hispanic-Americans, Asian-Americans, Arab-Americans, and Appalachian-Americans.
TOLEDO EXCEL
Since its inception in 1988, TOLEDO EXCEL, a scholarship incentive program of The University of Toledo, strives to prepare students who are members of groups underrepresented in higher education–including African, Asian, Hispanic and Native-Americans–for success in college. EXCEL involves students in pre-college academic programs in order to increase their self-esteem, cultural awareness of diversity, and civic involvement and responsibility. Some of the many services EXCEL offers students throughout their high school years are Saturday School, Summer Institutes, tutoring, academic retreat weekends, campus visits, strategic admissions and financial aid advising, and ethnographic field studies in the U.S. and abroad. To date approximately 850 students have enrolled in EXCEL, with at least 50 new scholars being inducted yearly.
GEAR UP TOLEDO STUDENTS (GUTS) & PREP/TECH
Gear Up is a federally funded math and science enrichment program designed to address the educational gap in achievement of low income and ethnic minority students and their middle class counterparts, accelerate their growth into math and science based careers, and increase the number of these students who are ready to enroll and succeed in college. Targeting the population of two junior and senior high schools that have the highest percentage of students receiving free or reduced-priced lunches, an indicator of the average level of poverty within the district, each year GUTS serves a new cohort of seventh graders. It also offers academic development and enrichment opportunities to teachers in order to foster a lasting systemic change, and encourages parents to take an active role in their children’s educational lives. With scholarships as incentives, GUTS engages students in early college awareness, preparation and planning. Services and activities offered to students include tutoring and mentoring, Summer Institutes, Saturday School, academic retreats and workshops, field trips, and college visits.
PREP/TECH is a related math and science enrichment program sponsored collaboratively by The University of Toledo and the Engineers Foundation of Ohio. The Purpose of PREP/TECH is to yearly identify and select 30 sixth graders that are from groups underrepresented in institutions of higher education, and demonstrate interest or potential in the math and science subject areas. Services offered to students during their seventh and eighth grade years include Saturday School, Summer Institutes, and tutoring. Under the instruction of University Professors, students perform hands-on Engineering experiments in order to help them better understand mathematical and scientific concepts, and increase their interest in math and science-based careers.
UPWARD BOUND
Upward Bound is a federally funded college access program designed to assist low-income and potential first generation college students who are currently in high school to enter college at the completion of high school. Students are accepted into the Program during their ninth and tenth grade years, then receive tutoring and attend Saturday School two Saturdays per month. During the summer, the forty students with the highest attendance/grade average live on campus for five weeks to prepare them for the following year of study in high school. Graduated high school seniors are entered into the Bridge Program: these students are enrolled for their first quarter of college at UT during the summer session, with the cost covered by the Upward Bound Program. Other services offered to students include college financial planning, career fairs, motivational speakers, and periodic campus visits.
STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES (SSS)
Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education, Students Support Services (SSS) is a federally funded TRIO program specifically designed to serve first generation, low-income, and/or disabled students and help them succeed in college. Among the services SSS offer students are a detailed orientation session and skill development course; individual, intrusive academic advising, and academic career counseling; tutoring; and special section courses in the basic academic skills. SSS monitors student progress throughout the school year, and performs ongoing and overall evaluations in order to improve the effectiveness of services offered. Skill development activities, coupled with strategic planning and advising, helps participating students navigate the University system and matriculate and graduate successfully.
