Spotlight

November 1, 1999

Brooklyn College Named a Leading College In Encouraging Character Development

Alice Newcomb-Doyle (718) 951-5882

     Brooklyn, NY - Brooklyn College has been recognized for leadership in the field of student character development by The Templeton Guide: Colleges that Encourage Character Development, a guidebook released nationwide earlier this month.

     The college was cited for its Freshman Year Program, which was inaugurated in 1994 to equip first-year students with the skills they need for academic achievement. Building on the college's highly effective Pre-Freshman Summer Institute, Freshman Year College coordinates academic and support programs for all new students through block programming -- through which students register for two or more classes in groups of about twenty-five -- or special registration, counseling, and peer support from fellow students in the program.

     Between 1995 and 1997, more than 75 percent of the students enrolled in block programming in their first semester remained enrolled after three semesters. Brooklyn's Freshman Year College has served as a model within the City University of New York.

     "It is a priority at Brooklyn College to support students during their important first year here," said President Vernon E. Lattin. "Our program goes beyond academics to provide mentoring and other enrichment efforts."

     Designed for students, parents, and educators, The Templeton Guide contains profiles of college programs across the country in ten categories, including fifty college presidents who have exercised leadership in character development and 100 colleges and universities named to the Templeton Honor Roll for their record of commitment to inspiring students to lead ethical and civic-minded lives.

     "Our program continues to draw national attention, and is a tribute to the faculty members and students who participate in it," said Kathleen Gover, director of Freshman Year College.

      Brooklyn College, founded in 1930, is one of the eleven senior colleges of the City University of New York. It educates 15,000 undergraduate and graduate students. The school is known nationally for its core curriculum, which has been hailed as one of the "bright spots" in American higher education. Located on a 26-acre tree-lined campus in Flatbush, Brooklyn College has a diverse student body that is representative of the borough's more than 100 ethnic and cultural groups. Visit the college Web site at: www.brooklyn.cuny.edu


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