SEAD: Summer Enrichment At Dartmouth

By Dr. Marciene Mattleman

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - For students who are the first in their families to go to college, getting there can be daunting. The good news is that help exists.

The Summer Enrichment at Dartmouth program (SEAD) is an initiative to inspire students from under-resourced schools to get to college. High school students spend two or three weeks on campus for 4 summers taking literacy courses, SAT prep, public speaking classes, learn to use a digital library, and prepare for college interviews.

They're paired with mentors and academic coaches from Dartmouth's sophomore class, live in dorms, and eat in college dining rooms. There's no charge to the SEAD participants.

Carol Fuchs, who worked on developing Philadelphia's Sponsor-A-Scholar program, created SEAD. She's being honored this month, receiving Dartmouth's annual Martin Luther King Social Justice Award for her work providing disadvantaged youth access to education.

SEAD could easily be replicated or adapted on local college campuses, giving city kids a real chance to succeed and Carol Fuchs will help.