NJ’S COLLEGE ACCESS CHALLENGE GRANT
“ TOOLS FOR COLLEGE ACCESS”

Aim High Academy Grant Program

As part of the federally funded College Access Challenge Grant, the Commission on Higher Education seeks to provide high-achieving high school students with exposure to college through a summer intensive experience. This competitive Notice of Grant Opportunity (NGO) is for the establishment of residential precollege programs that will serve New Jersey students who have completed their junior year in high school. These precollege programs, titled Aim High Academy (AHA), will provide an array of education enrichment activities for high-achieving, low-income and/or 1st generation students. The primary goal is to better prepare students and motivate them to attend college. Programs must be campus-based, residential, and offered for three consecutive weeks during the 2011 summer.

The college or university hosting an AHA program will design and develop its own curriculum allowing for different institutional characteristics but should emphasize problem solving, leadership training, and team interaction. Programs should be structured around a specific discipline (e.g., math) and provide students with exposure to higher level learning, such as the ability to participate in research and to interact with faculty outside the classroom.  While each program will be unique, the same goals of focusing on secondary school graduation and increasing college admissions and retention will apply to all.