Contact Darren Johnson
Southampton College of Long Island University
631-287-8313
SOUTHAMPTON, NY -- Fifty faculty members, administrators and counselors from Beach Channel High School in Queens visited Southampton College of Long Island University November 2 as part of a partnership effort that is being forged between the two institutions.
Both schools hope that the collaboration will help smooth the path of inner city high school students toward higher education.
"We are willing and able partners," said Beach Channel Principal Bernard Gassaway during a lunch presentation in Chancellors Hall. The group attended workshops, toured the campus, heard presentations from the College's faculty on marine science, SEAmester, psychobiology and writing, visited the College's new Technology Center, and met public television commentator Roger Rosenblatt who teaches in the College's MFA in Writing program.
Nikole Schiavone, a 1998 graduate of Beach Channel who is now a sophomore at Southampton College, spoke about her transition from high school to college.
"The teachers at Beach Channel and at Southampton College are supportive and helpful. It was easy for me to move from Beach Channel to Southampton College, although the outer environment is a lot different. It was culture shock for me at first to see grass and trees." Nikole is a Psychology/Biology major.
Although both schools are on the water, the College is located in a rural/suburban environment in the midst of the world-famous Hamptons beach resort, while Beach Channel is in urban Far Rockaway, with 65 percent of its students coming from poverty.
The College has a nationally acclaimed program in Marine and Environmental Science.Beach Channel has a developed a program in Oceanography that recruits students from all over New York City.
Margaret Madden, Academic Dean for the College, said that both institutions stand to benefit from the partnership. Dr. Madden's research is in the area of integrating diversity, ethnicity and gender issues into the curriculum. The partnership gives the College a valuable opportunity to connect with a high school with a diverse, urban population and gives the high school an avenue for talented students to learn more about pursuing a college education.
Small, private colleges like Southampton "cultivate an academic experience that brings out the best in students," Dr. Madden said.
Many areas for collaboration are under discussion, according to Associate Provost Michael Brophy including staff development, internships for Southampton students, and establishing the Accelerated College Entry Program (ACE) at Beach Channel in which high school students can take courses for college credit.
Over the summer 15 Beach Channel students attended the College's workshops for high school students in writing, marine science and computer web design. One student, Kristoffer Irving, is using the skills he learned to overhaul the high school's web site. Another link between the two schools is Southampton alumnus Thomas Dugan who teaches at Beach Channel.
The goal is for each institution to learn more about the other. "Our college will better understand the learning styles and needs of urban students, while Beach Channel will learn more about preparing their students for college-level work," Brophy said.
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