Students without family support get guidance they need to succeed at college

SAN FRANCISCO, April 11, 2006 -- San Francisco State University has received $150,000, the first installment of a three-year, $450,000 grant from the Stuart Foundation for the University's Guardian Scholars program, which supports foster youth in college.

Guardian Scholars is a unique collaboration between the University's Educational Opportunity Programs (CEOP) and School of Social Work. Launched in summer 2005, the program provides advising, tutoring, scholarships, priority registration, year-round housing and meal plans in the campus residence halls and other support. Currently 11 students are in the SFSU program. The direct and in-kind expenses for providing support services ranges from $2,000 to $3,000 per student each year. Ten new students are expected to be welcomed into the program each fall.

Approximately 4,300 foster care youth leave the California system every year, and each is at risk for unemployment, homelessness, incarceration and dependence on government living assistance. Few foster youth achieve associate degrees at junior colleges and even fewer transfer to four-year colleges.

"We are very excited about this support," said Xochitl Sanchez-Zarama, the Guardian Scholars program director at EOP who founded the SFSU program with Sonja Lenz-Rashid, assistant professor of social work. "We are also grateful to the Stuart Foundation for their confidence in our ability to help these students meet their potential." Based in San Francisco, the Stuart Foundation is a private foundation devoted to youth services including child welfare, education and community resources.

This grant includes a challenge to the program to match a portion of the Stuart Foundation funding. For information about supporting the Guardian Scholars program, contact Katiti Crawford in the SFSU development office at (415) 405-3809.