Grant to fund summer program

A grant of $55,645 was given to Oberlin College on Wednesday by the Thomas L. Conlan Foundation to fund a pilot summer program aimed at helping local youth.

The Foundation has provided grants to individuals, institutions and education-focused organizations since 1981, and is named for the late Thomas L. Conlan, an attorney and consumer advocate who worked to provide equal educational access nationwide.

The residential summer program is designed to help eighth and ninth graders from public schools in Lorain County prepare for high school and ultimately enroll in a traditional or technical college.

Oberlin College will collaborate on this project with the Access Program, which was founded by the Thomas L. Conlan Foundation in 1991 to increase the amount of Lorain County residents who pursue a college education.

According to Thomas L. Conlan Jr., a member of the Foundation's board, the Access Program was created to make post-high school education more accessible to youth in Lorain County. "In research around Ohio partnering with colleges enables parents and students to become interested and acquainted with the importance of going to college," he said. "There is no obstacle in why [students] shouldn't reach college."

Lorain County traditionally has the lowest matriculation rate of any Northeast Ohio county. The Access Program offers advising and scholarship services to students and their parents hoping to increase the college matriculation rate of the area.

The Access Program also has been working for better educational opportunities for the last 16 years. During the 1997-98 school year, the program reached nearly 3,000 students in 14 local school districts. They have also formed a middle school mentoring program which helps students land local internships, practice for college exams, and research education and career opportunities.

When asked what influenced the decision to start this pilot program with Oberlin, Thomas Conlan Jr. replied, "There is no institution of higher education that has the financial history and practice of admitting people of all faiths and colors [that Oberlin has]."