SBCC Gets $5,000 Grant to Aid New Students

For the second year in a row, the Bank of America Charitable Foundation, Inc., has awarded a $5,000 grant to support Santa Barbara City College’s Gateway to Success Program. Gateway to Success is a campus-wide program which addresses the problem of students arriving at college poorly prepared to perform in class academically. As part of the Gateway program, instructors, who work in concert with a team of tutors, identify students in each class who are at risk of falling short of successful class completion. The tutor assists the student both inside and outside the classroom with ongoing support and follow-up.

Of the 10,000 students enrolled at SBCC in Gateway classes during the 2009-2010 academic year, 82 percent achieved a successful class completion rate (with a C grade or better). These student success rates surpass the SBCC general achievement rates by significant margins: 79-84 percent compared to the college-wide success rate of 70 percent.

“Ensuring that students succeed in their classes is critical to their ability to achieve their educational goals at SBCC,” said Dr. Andreea Serban, SBCC superintendent/president. “Gateway has been a model program developed by our faculty that delivers consistent and positive results. We greatly appreciate Bank of America’s support in helping SBCC make sure that our students have the resources necessary to reach their educational goals.”

David Prichard, U.S. Trust/Bank of America senior vice president, said, “Bank of America recognizes the importance of educational achievement programs like Gateway to Success in helping more young adults achieve career and quality of life success in Santa Barbara. Such programs help build capacity for greater overall community impact.”