For Release on March 24, 2004

4th Annual Campus Visit to Take Place on April 24, 2004

SAN DIEGO-- On April 24, 2004, San Diego State University will host nearly 4,000 seventh grade students and their parents for the 4^th Annual Compact for Success Campus Visit.  Danny Valdez, star of the 1994 movie “…And The Earth Did Not Swallow Him” will speak at the event.

The Sweetwater Union High School District provides transportation to the SDSU campus, where participants begin the morning with a welcoming ceremony at 9:00 a.m. in Cox Arena. Drs. Stephen Weber and Edward Brand, President of SDSU and Superintendent of the Sweetwater District, respectively, address incoming students.  They will be followed by several speakers, including Valdez.  At 9:45 a.m., students and parents are escorted by SDSU student guides on a campus tour and will attend an Information Fair on Campanile Walkway. This exhibit will answer to questions about various academic departments and student organizations.  Buses return to individual Sweetwater schools beginning at 11:15 a.m.

The event was originally scheduled for November 1, 2003 but was rescheduled due to the poor air quality resulting from the fires in San Diego County.

The purpose of the annual visit to the SDSU campus is to formally welcome the latest class of seventh graders and their parents to the Compact as well as to introduce these SDSU hopefuls to the campus and its services. 

Parent participation in the event is crucial to the success of the Compact.  According to Gonzalo Rojas, Director of the Compact for Success at San Diego State University, “The Compact for Success is not just an agreement between each student and the two participating institutions, SDSU and SUHSD.  The agreement incorporates parents because of their invaluable role in supporting their children in meeting the benchmarks of the program and creating a college-going consciousness in their home.”

The Compact for Success is a unique program that guarantees admission to SDSU for Sweetwater Union High School District students who complete its requirements. Students must meet a series of academic benchmarks, attain an overall grade point average of 3.0 in college-prep courses and pass college entrance exams in English and mathematics.  Students with greatest need in Sweetwater’s Classes of 2006 through 2009 will also receive tuition assistance.

Volunteers from student organizations, members of the SDSU community and academic departments are needed to ensure the success of this event.  Please call 594-1730 or visit www.compactforsuccess.org to sign up to participate.