Harvard Students Asked to Help Others to 'Think College Now!'

At a dinner at the Business School on Tuesday evening, April 21, Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino joined President Neil L. Rudenstine to urge Boston residents attending Harvard College to enlist in the "Think College Now!" early college awareness program in the Boston Public Schools.

"The students of our city need your help," said Menino, explaining that many Boston students do not have enough people in their lives guiding them toward higher education.

Noting the special relationship that exists between Harvard and the city of Boston, Rudenstine added, "You have accomplished a great deal in your young academic careers, and you can assist others who seek to follow in your footsteps by bolstering their aspirations and abilities."

Boston Superintendent of Schools Thomas W. Payzant offered the students an opportunity to become "more firmly grounded in their community" through participation in the Think College Now! effort.

Citing the strong collaboration reflected in this initiative, Marjorie Bakken, president of Wheelock College and chair of the Boston Higher Education Partnership, commended the Harvard students for their public service work and noted that she "will be asking students like yourselves at other Boston colleges and universities to become involved in the Think College Now! program."

Based on a model employed by Harvard's Admissions and Financial Aid Office in continuing outreach efforts to middle-school and ninth-grade students, Harvard representatives are working with their colleagues from the Boston Public Schools, Mayor Menino's Office, the Boston Higher Education Partnership, and the Higher Education Information Center to further develop a comprehensive program aimed at serving Boston students and their families. A key aspect of the effort will involve current undergraduates visiting middle- and high-school students to offer advice and encouragement about how to prepare for and succeed in college.