Fayetteville State University News July 10, 2014 Fayetteville State University's Office of College Access Programs Receives 18 AmeriCorps VISTA Members to Support Summer STEM Education Efforts The Office of College Access Programs (OCAP) at Fayetteville State University (FSU) has 18 AmeriCorps VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) members from the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) to support summer programs designed to engage students in science, technology, engineering, and math activities, commonly known as STEM. FSU's AmeriCorps members have joined hundreds across the country as part of an expansion of STEM AmeriCorps, a CNCS initiative announced in 2013. The AmeriCorps VISTA' assist staff members in various tasks related to the Global Competitiveness Career and College Readiness Institute, providing summer learning opportunities to students who might otherwise not have access to academic enrichment over the summer break. "We've put all of our efforts into encouraging summer learning in STEM fields for over 250 youth from Cumberland, Hoke and Robeson Counties," said Dr. Teresa Thompson-Pinckney, Director of the Office of College Access Programs. "The experiences we are providing youth this summer would not be possible without the contributions of our AmeriCorps VISTA summer associates." Building on President Obama's launch of STEM AmeriCorps at the White House Science Fair last year, this major expansion has placed more than 250 AmeriCorps VISTA members in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina, and West Virginia, in addition to the hundreds of VISTA members supporting STEM initiatives in other states across the country. These AmeriCorps members will connect more than 18,000 at-risk students in low-performing schools to STEM opportunities. "AmeriCorps members are improving the lives of millions of citizens and having a positive and lasting impact on the toughest challenges facing our communities," said Wendy Spencer, CEO of CNCS. "By strengthening STEM education for students, especially those from low-income backgrounds, STEM AmeriCorps will spark greater interest in math and science and build ladders of opportunity these students might otherwise never have." AmeriCorps engages more than 75,000 members in intensive service annually to serve through nonprofit, faith-based, and community organizations at 25,000 locations across the country. These members help communities tackle pressing problems while mobilizing millions of volunteers for the organizations they serve. 2014 marks the 20th anniversary of the AmeriCorps program. Since 1994, more than 830,000 Americans have provided more than 1 billion hours of service addressing critical challenges from poverty and hunger to disasters and the dropout crisis. The Office of College Access Programs' mission is to encourage and assist youth who are traditionally under-represented in post-secondary education with preparation for, entry into, and completion of a post -secondary education. The Office of College Access Programs is comprised of federally funded programs that include GEAR UP, Educational Talent Search, Upward Bound (Classic), Upward Bound Math & Science, AmeriCorps VISTA and 21st Century Community Learning Centers. The office provides out-of-school academic support services and college preparatory services to students, parents, and educators in Cumberland, Hoke, and Robeson Counties. AmeriCorps VISTA is administered by the Corporation for National and Community Service, a federal agency that engages more than five million Americans in service through AmeriCorps, Senior Corps, the Social Innovation Fund, and the Volunteer Generation Fund, and leads the President's national call to service initiative, United We Serve. For 50 years, AmeriCorps VISTA has engaged Americans in a year-long, full-time intensive commitment to service designed to bring individuals and communities out of poverty. For more information, visit www.NationalService.gov. SANDRA M. PHOENIX Executive Director HBCU Library Alliance sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org> www.hbculibraries.org<http://www.hbculibraries.org/> 800-999-8558, ext. 4820 404-702-5854 Skype: sandra.phoenix1 1438 West Peachtree NW Suite 200 Atlanta,GA 30309 Toll Free: 1.800.999.8558 (LYRASIS) Fax: 404.892.7879 www.lyrasis.org<http://www.lyrasis.org/> Honor the ancestors, honor the children. Register now http://www.hbculibraries.org/html/2014meeting-form.html for the October 26-28, 2014 HBCU Library Alliance 6th Membership Meeting in Atlanta GA!