Press Releases

November 21, 2007

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Press Contact:
Alka Joshi
Evergreen Valley College Marketing and Community Relations
650-224-7580 cell
408-270-6413 direct
alka.joshi@evc.edu

Evergreen Valley College’s Model Enlace Program Recognized Nationally

Amidst all the rhetoric about providing support for at-risk Latinos, the Enlace Program at Evergreen Valley College (EVC) is busy doing something about it. Enlace offers academic and emotional support for Latinos and Latinas based on a fundamental understanding of their unique cultural environment and needs. This fall, Accelencia in Education, an organization that promotes policies and practices supporting higher educational achievement for Latino students and all students, awarded the Enlace Program of Evergreen Valley College its 2007 Associates Level distinction.

EVC Professor and Enlace Program Chair Richard Regua believes this award “further validates the effectiveness of the Enlace holistic model based on collaboration and on culturally relevant teaching and counseling.”

Since its inception twenty years ago, Enlace has been effective in developing strategies to increase the number of Latinos who graduate and transfer to baccalaureate institutions. From Fall 2001 to Fall 2004, 893 EVC Enlace students had a 76% course success rate, compared to a 55% success rate among Latino students not enrolled in Enlace courses.

Regua credits the support of San Jose Community College District Chancellor Rosa Perez and EVC President David Wain Coon, “who have created a campus environment that supports Enlace staff and community mentors in our efforts to devise and implement strategies to increase the number of Chicano/Latino students who succeed at EVC and transfer to four-year institutions.”

One hallmark of the Enlace Program is personal mentoring by more than 65 Latino/a community professionals, who serve as role models, sharing their personal, academic, and career experiences, and providing guidance, motivation, and insights for the students.

As an award winner, Enlace received $5000 and recognition at the 2007 Accelencia Symposium in Los Angeles.

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ABOUT Evergreen Valley College

With student learning as its primary focus, Evergreen Valley College’s mission is to empower students to expand their human potential and to succeed in a global, multicultural society. The College, which sits on a picturesque 175-acre site in the eastern foothills of San Jose, provides access to comprehensive and flexible post-secondary education to prepare students of all ages and backgrounds for balanced and productive lives and to improve the workforce and quality of life in our community.