News Release
SF State and City College offer joint innovative program that bridges education gap for incoming freshmen interested in health education
SAN FRANCISCO, September 10, 2008 -- San Francisco State University and City College of San Francisco have received a grant from the James S. Irvine Foundation to create a pilot program to help incoming freshmen build a solid academic foundation as they seek degrees in health education and public health. Called the Metropolitan Health Academies, students who successfully complete the two-year program at either institution will be guaranteed a place as a junior in SF State’s College of Health and Human Services.
Metropolitan Health Academies is a response to current challenges facing California, including high school graduates who are ill prepared to tackle college coursework and a serious shortage of skilled health care workers. Among the 50 states, California ranks 49th in the U.S. in percent of high school graduates who go on to college. Some estimates suggest up to 45 percent of the public health industry may retire by 2012, according to the Association of State and Territorial Health Officers.
The new program combines a small learning community, which allows for extra attention from the faculty, and a career academy, that fosters interaction with professionals in the field.
"This program will be a broad on-ramp to college and will provide an especially diverse group of students with exactly the academic foundation to assure their success in college and as professionals in the health care field," said Robert A. Corrigan, president of San Francisco State University.
Metropolitan Health Academies admitted its first students at SF State and City College in August 2008. The pilot program may one day be disseminated throughout the 109-campus California community college system and the 23-campus CSU system, which combined serve more than 80 percent of the college students in the state. SF State is the lead agency and fiscal agent for the program.
"This partnership with San Francisco State will accelerate learning and increase community college-to-university transfer among diverse, low-income and recent immigrant students seeking future employment in the field of community and public health," said Interim Chancellor Don Q. Griffin of City College of San Francisco.
Founded in 1937 by agricultural pioneer James Irvine, the San Francisco-based James S. Irvine Foundation seeks to expand opportunity for the people of California to participate in a vibrant, successful and inclusive society. Its grant making is organized around three program areas: arts, youth and California perspectives, which focus on improving decision making on significant state issues.
San Francisco State University is the only master’s-level public university serving the counties of San Francisco, San Mateo and Marin. The University enrolls more than 30,000 students each year. With nationally acclaimed programs in a range of fields -- from creative writing, cinema and biology to history, broadcast and electronic communication arts, theatre arts and ethnic studies -- the University's more than 140,000 graduates have contributed to the economic, cultural and civic fabric of San Francisco and the greater Bay Area.
Founded in 1935, City College of San Francisco serves more than 100,000 students annually in 10 neighborhood campuses and over 150 instructional sites throughout San Francisco. Within this large institution, the School of Health and Physical Education has become a premier location for training in the high-demand health care sector. Its eight departments include registered nursing, health care technology, radiological technology, dental assisting, health education, vocational nursing, consumer education and physical education. City College is bringing the best in education and services to prepare the world’s leaders in the health care sector.
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