Bronx, NY – The Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities (CICU) will host the fourth annual Latino College Fair for prospective college students and their families on Saturday, November 19 from 10:30 a.m. – 3:45 p.m. at Fordham University’s Rose Hill Campus in the Bronx. A special $500 Scholarship drawing for high school seniors will be held during the noon workshop.

Although the event is especially tailored for Latinos, the free event is open to all who are interested in gathering information about college admissions, receiving financial aid and finding out how to navigate the application process. Approximately 1,000 students and their families are registered to attend. Walk-ins are welcome.

“We are working to support the higher education aspirations of all New Yorkers,” said CICU president Laura L. Anglin. “A college education can be in reach for students, and we want to provide students with the tools and information to get there. Through this Latino College Fair, students and families can learn about planning and paying for college, as well as connect with financial aid experts and more than 55 private, not-for-profit campuses across New York State.”

Schedule of Events on Saturday, November 19, 2011, is as follows:

10:30 a.m. Registration opens (Fordham Preparatory High School on Fordham University Campus, Leonard Theater)

12:00 – 2:00 p.m. Welcome & Planning and Paying for College Workshop (Fordham Preparatory High School on Fordham University Campus, Leonard Theater)

Remarks by John Buckley, Associate Vice President for Undergraduate Enrollment, Fordham University; Laura L. Anglin, President, Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities (CICU); Celia Gonzalez, Former Deputy Comptroller for Division of Diversity Programs, New York State Office of State Comptroller; and Susan Nesbitt Perez, Vice President, Outreach and Financial Aid, CICU

Planning and Paying for College Workshop presentation by Sergio Gonzalez, Senior Account Executive, The Sallie Mae Fund followed by a Q&A session with financial aid experts: Heather McDonnell, Associate Dean of Financial Aid and Admissions, Sarah Lawrence College; William Short, Director, Arthur O. Eve Higher Education Opportunity Program at St. Lawrence University and President, New York State HEOP Professional Organization; and Vanessa Barrios, Assistant Director of Financial Aid, St. Joseph’s College, Brooklyn. (Spanish translation available).

*Note: The $500 Scholarship drawing for high school seniors will be held during the workshop. The Sallie Mae Fund Scholarship drawing is for high school seniors only. Parents may enter for their students but the student or parent must be present to win.

2:00 – 3:45 p.m. College Fair (McGinley Center)
Featuring campus information tables and discussions with admissions representatives from more than 55+ independent colleges and universities & Financial Aid “Ask the Expert” tables with Anne Pelak, Director of Financial Aid, The College of New Rochelle; Vanessa Barrios, Assistant Director of Financial Aid, St. Joseph’s College, Brooklyn; and Juan Arguello, Assistant Director of Student Financial Services, Fordham University.

Directions, Parking, and Transportation:
Fordham University, Rose Hill Campus; 441 East Fordham Road; Bronx, NY 10458
(*If driving, use GPS directions: 2853 Southern Boulevard, Bronx, NY 10458)
Parking: Use Southern Blvd. entrance to campus
Directions: http://www.fordham.edu/discover_fordham/where_is_fordham/maps__directions/rose_hill_directions
Campus map: http://www.fordham.edu/audience/tours/rh_map.shtml

55+ Participating Colleges and Universities
Adelphi University; Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences; Alfred University; Bard College; Barnard College; Boricua College; Bramson ORT College; Canisius College; Colgate University; College of Mount Saint Vincent; The College of New Rochelle; The College of Saint Rose; Columbia University; Cornell University; Daemen College; Dominican College; Dorothea Hopfer School of Nursing; Elmira College; Fordham University; Helene Fuld College of Nursing; Iona College; Ithaca College; Keuka College; Le Moyne College; Long Island University / Brooklyn Campus; Long Island University / C. W. Post Campus; Manhattan College; Manhattanville College; Marist College; Mercy College; Metropolitan College of New York; Molloy College; Nazareth College; The New School; New York Institute of Technology; New York University; Niagara University; Nyack College; Pace University; Phillips Beth Israel School of Nursing; Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; The Sage Colleges; Sarah Lawrence College; Siena College; Skidmore College; St. Bonaventure University; St. John Fisher College; St. John’s University; St. Joseph’s College; St. Lawrence University; St. Thomas Aquinas College; Syracuse University; Union College; University of Rochester; Utica College; Vaughn College of Aeronautics and Technology and Wells College.

Hispanic students and higher education facts:

• In New York State, the Hispanic population has grown from 2.2 million in 1990 to 3.4 million 2010, a 54 percent increase. Some 17.6 percent of New Yorkers are Hispanic or Latino. The percentage of Hispanic public elementary and secondary students is 21 percent, up from 15 percent in 1990, with 12.5 percent of college students of Hispanic origin.
• New York’s Independent Sector currently enrolls 40 percent of the Hispanic students attending college full-or part-time at campuses offering bachelor and graduate degrees. In New York, 64 percent of Hispanics are enrolled in a four-year institution and 70 percent attend full-time.
• The majority of Hispanic students (51 percent) earn their bachelor and graduate degrees at an Independent college in New York State.
• Between Fall 2009 and Fall 2010, Independent Sector colleges increased their first-time, full-time Hispanic enrollment by 12 percent.
• Between 2003 and 2009, the Independent Sector added 241 full-time faculty, an increase of 29 percent, and 790 more Hispanic administrators, an increase of 107 percent.
  

Hispanic Serving Institutions:

• Colleges with at least a 25 percent enrollment of Hispanic students are federally designated as Hispanic-serving institutions (HSI). These colleges and universities are leading the way in closing the educational attainment gap for Latinos and expanding their access to advanced study and careers and sharing best practices in outreach, increasing enrollment, retention, and graduation.
• New York State is home to 14 of these colleges, including four in the Independent Sector: Boricua College, the College of Mount Saint Vincent, Mercy College, and Vaughn College of Aeronautics.
• Another 20 campuses are emerging HSIs—with Hispanic enrollment between 15-24 percent—including nine private colleges: Bramson ORT College, Dominican College, Institute of Design and Construction, Manhattanville College, Metropolitan College of New York, the Manhattan Campus of the New York Institute of Technology, Nyack College, St. Joseph’s College Main Campus and Long Island University Brentwood.
  

About the Event: This event is funded primarily through a federal College Access Challenge Grant (CACG) awarded to cIcu by the New York State Higher Education Services Corp, the state agency designated to administer CACG. Remaining funds come from cIcu, Fordham University, CICU member colleges and universities and The Sallie Mae Fund, with thanks to the Bronx Assembly Delegation for their support. Since 2008, CICU has held three Latino College Fairs at the College of Mount Saint Vincent in Riverdale and at Fordham University. In 2010, more than 700 students, family members, teachers and counselors attended to learn about college, college admissions, and financial aid. CICU also formed a K-16 “Hispanic Outreach Network” to increase communication and share best practices, concerns, and resources between schools, community-based organizations, and colleges and universities. The Network’s 450 members strive to increase awareness of and success in college for Hispanic students.

About CICU: Since 1981, the Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities (CICU)’s Outreach Programs has produced helpful publications for students, parents, and schools about CICU’s 100+ member private colleges and universities, college admissions, and financial aid. Available free of charge, the latest series includes: Your College Search and Affording College. CICU outreach also includes the Sector’s admissions and financial aid website, www.nycolleges.org, which features profiles of New York’s private colleges and universities and degree offerings throughout the state.

Print PDF