SCOTIARISE GRANT HELPS HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS SEE A FUTURE THAT INCLUDES POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION

Around 200 high school students are being introduced to new academic and career opportunities over the next three years thanks to a $200,000 gift from Scotiabank.

KPU’s Future Students' Office and the KPU Foundation worked with Scotiabank to develop the Scotiabank Strive Dual Credit Program to address a gap in existing provision, announcing the grant in April, 2022.

Dual credit programs give high school students the opportunity to take courses that give them credits towards both the secondary and undergraduate post-secondary level. However, data shows persistent participation gaps in dual credit programs for Indigenous and racialized students, youth in care and students from low-income backgrounds. The ScotiaRISE grant enables KPU to remodel a traditional dual credit program to address these low participation rates.

“KPU recognizes that we need to do more to create equity for Indigenous and racialized students and other under-represented student populations, and more attention needs to be paid to barriers these students face before they step foot on campus,” said Steve Cardwell, then KPU vice president, students.

KPU is working with Surrey Schools and Richmond School District to deliver the Scotiabank Strive Dual Credit Program twice per year. One cohort of up to 35 students will be at the Surrey campus and one cohort of the same number at the Richmond campus. One cohort will be in the spring semester, starting 2022, and the other in the fall semester.

The classes will run for three hours in the evening and the courses offered will be tailored to the student demographic. The debut course, Arts 1100, features service learning with local non-profits and volunteering in the community as part of the coursework, which tackles contemporary social problems.

To support the success of the students, the program has a dedicated academic advisor or counsellor, literacy support, learning centre support, accessibility support and student mentorship. There is also a student assistant to act as liaison between the university and the partner school districts. Community partners include Atira, Surrey Food Bank, Metis Nation BC, Seven Sacred Fires Society, Fraser Region Aboriginal Friendship Centre Association, Qmunity, and MOSAIC.

“This program will have a profound impact on these students’ lives, and this is only achievable with the visionary support of Scotiabank,” says Randall Heidt, chief executive officer of the KPU Foundation and KPU vice president of external affairs.

Jenifer Lee, district vice president for Scotiabank, says the partnership with KPU is the first academic donation made in B.C. and Yukon under ScotiaRISE, a 10-year, $500 million community investment initiative designed to promote economic resilience among disadvantaged groups.

“The Scotiabank Strive Dual Credit Program will be a game-changer for youth who do not fit the traditional ministry-funded model of secondary school dual credit programs, providing these students who have faced extraordinary challenges in their lives with the opportunity to envision a future that includes post-secondary education,” she adds. “We are excited to see more young people from our communities get to experience university life and what they may achieve in the future.”

Representatives of Kwantlen Polytechnic University, Scotiabank, Richmond School District and Surrey Schools gathered at KPU's Surrey campus on Wednesday evening (April 6, 2022) to celebrate the donation.

From left: Chelsey Faber, Prospective Student Support Specialist, Domestic Recruitment, KPU Future Students' Office –Scotiabank Strive Dual Credit Program Coordinator

Terri Lockhart, District Coordinator, Career Programs, Richmond School District

Randall Heidt, KPU Vice President, External Affairs and CEO, KPU Foundation

Steve Cardwell, former KPU Vice President, Students

Elder Lekeyten Antone, Kwantlen First Nation, KPU Elder in Residence

Jenifer Lee, District Vice President, BC & Yukon Region, Scotiabank

Steve Gaskin, Senior Vice President, BC & Yukon Region, Scotiabank

Grace Chiu, Senior Manager, Regional Marketing, Scotiabank

Steve Lewarne, Executive Director, KPU Advancement and Alumni Affairs

Dominique Manga, KPU Student Ambassador, Scotiabank Strive Dual Credit Program

Mark Flynn, Career Education Principal, Surrey Schools