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College News
SUMMER 2010 l 7
Student finds his path to success through “Say Yes” program
Jaquar Sampson ’13
By Shawn Arrajj ’10 MC
photos provided by Dr. Norman Muir
Medaille builds programs with
Asian universities Delegations from two of Medaille’s partner universities in the People’s Republic of China, Dalian Maritime University and Shenyang University, visited Medaille in October to sign agreements that outline dual-degree programs between the schools. In December, the Middle States Commission on Higher Education approved Medaille’s request to operate at four additional locations in China and Taiwan. And in February, Dr. Norman Muir, dean of the undergraduate college, and Dr. Richard T. Jurasek, president, traveled to Taiwan to sign a dual-degree 2+2 partnership with the Fortune Institute of Technology in Kaohsiung. They traveled to two of the most prestigious high schools in Taiwan to talk about Medaille College and trends in higher education. And in Taipei, they participated in a country-wide university recruitment fair, meeting with over 50 prospective students with interest in pursuing the 2+2 Medaille in Taiwan program or in applying to Medaille directly. The presence on the Buffalo campus of international students from a distinctly different cultural and linguistic background will provide U.S. students with a rare opportunity to develop their capacity for global understanding and intercultural communication through direct experience, not just academic reading and study. This opportunity will enhance the value of a Medaille undergraduate degree for all students since the capacity for intercultural competence has now become one of the essential workplace outcomes of an undergraduate education sought by U.S. and international employers in the 21st century. Other benefits include opportunities for student and faculty exchanges, for fostering cross-cultural faculty research and teaching collaboration, and for developing overseas internships, service-learning projects, and longer study abroad opportunities.
This past academic year marked Medaille College’s first venture working with the Syracuse-based program, Say Yes to Education (SYTE). Through this program, eight students from low-income families that demonstrated great potential were given the opportunity to enroll at Medaille with all expenses paid. One student, Jaquar Sampson of Syracuse, says he doesn’t know what he would be doing right now if he had not got involved with SYTE. “ ‘Say Yes’ is like the golden ticket,” said Sampson, who is studying psychology and would one day like to work in marriage counseling or family counseling. “It gave me the chance to go to college when it would otherwise be unaffordable,” he says. Sampson says he is not taking a single moment for granted. “People can make what they want of college,” he shares. “Teachers can show you where to go but you have to find your own path. I’m glad I got this opportunity.”