November 18, 2016
A St. John’s banner now hangs proudly in the Ralph R. McKee Career and Technical Education High School. The pennant decorates the secondary school’s new College Readiness Center, sponsored by SJU’s Staten Island campus to help prepare young people for undergraduate study.
The College Readiness Center is part of SJU’s collaboration in 30,000 Degrees: College Readiness for a Stronger Staten Island. The program stems from a partnership among the University’s Staten Island campus, Wagner College, and the College of Staten Island. Their goal is to raise the borough’s number of students with college degrees to 30,000 by 2025.
“St. John’s University has planted our flag right where we belong—in an educationally underserved school, among high school students who deserve the best,” said Robert Fanuzzi, Ph.D., Associate Professor of English and Associate Provost for Academic Affairs at St. John’s Staten Island campus.
Aiming for Success
The center opened with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on October 27. Community leaders, state and local government officials, the Department of Education, and members of the SJU community attended the grand opening, which was broadcast by NY1 News and featured on the television station’s website.
Marilyn Dono-Koulouris, Ed.D., Associate Professor of Core Studies, serves as SJU’s new College Readiness Coordinator while directing related programs at the high school. Under her direction, the center assists McKee faculty with identifying tools and techniques to prepare students for college.
The center’s location is a fully equipped, multi-purpose room designed to address the needs and interests of high school students who are determined to attend college. According to Dr. Fanuzzi, the center houses a varied array of "college readiness” resources. For example, help is available with financial aid questions, admissions preparation, tutoring, and parental outreach. It also educates students about techniques for success, including time-management and study skills.
In the Thick of the Battle
The Staten Island campus has a strong tradition of reaching out to surrounding communities. Citing the University’s Vincentian Mission, Dr. Fanuzzi helped launch a physics offering at McKee earlier this year in cooperation with Mostafa Sadoqi, Ph.D., Chair of Physics at SJU and Project Director of the department’s STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) initiative, including the Early Start Program.
College outreach, Dr. Fanuzzi observed, widens opportunities for many high school students throughout the five boroughs. “We’re right in the thick of the battle for greater income equality in New York City,” he observed. “It’s where St. John’s belongs.”