November 15, 2002
Rebuilding Buffalo from inside out:
The William G. McGowan Learning Community Scholarship Program at Canisius College
by Preethi Govindaraj and Deepa Govindaraj
Canisius College is finding ways not only to rebuild the City of Buffalo with the Employer Assisted Housing Program but also helping minority students to receive a college education. The William G. McGowan Learning Community Scholarship Program at Canisius College is the college's long-term investment in individuals Canisius hopes will stay in the area after their education and use their talents to help the City. Dr. Kenneth Sroka and Dr. Roger Stephenson, two professors of English at Canisius College, initiated the program at the College in 1998.
The late William G. McGowan, one of the founders of MCI Communications Corporation, wanted to help minority students from the city and encourage them to rebuild Buffalo from the inside. The majority of the students are African American; some are Hispanic and Vietnamese. Twenty students are recruited every year, with preference given to high school students from the City of Buffalo. The students are given full scholarships that include tuition, room and board, and a new computer. In exchange and so they can maintain minimum grade requirements, students are discouraged from holding part time jobs.
Dr. Stephenson, one of the co administrators of the program, says the main goal of the program is to attract motivated individuals from the inner city in order to retain the talent locally: “Here is Buffalo, we have a huge problem with brain drain. Colleges like Harvard recruit students who score above a 1200 on the SAT’s and have a 95 overall GPA in high school. We (Buffalo) lose them, and they never come back here. The McGowan program gives local students of color an attractive offer to stay here.” We asked Dr. Stephenson and Dr. Sroka why big colleges such as Harvard and Cornell recruit students from Inner City Buffalo. They said that many colleges are shaping their ethnic compositions to reflect the changing trends: “Diversity is the buzz word these days,” said Dr. Stephenson.
The McGowan Scholarship Program is grounded in the Collaborative Learning Model, a teaching technique Dr. Stephenson and Dr. Sroka have been working since the 1970’s. An integrated learning approach, the Collaborative Learning Model utilizes team learning, followed by extensive reinforcement, in order for students to learn and retain information effectively. The learning model was one of the crucial aspects of the proposal the professors submitted in 1998 to receive the McGowan Grant. At the time, there were four such team-learning courses in English, Philosophy, and Religious Studies. Today, 17 courses are designated as team learning classes, including courses in Chemistry, Management, and Drama. Students in the McGowan program are required to take 12 team-learning classes.
The original McGowan grant was for $5 million. The Oshai Foundation also donated another $600,000 to help fund this program. Each student receives a $100,000 scholarship, half of which comes from the original grant, and the other half from State aid, other sources of funding, and from Canisius College. Currently, 58 students are enrolled in the McGowan Program: 19 juniors, 19 sophomores, and 20 freshmen. Last year, there were about 100 applicants for the program's 20 spots.
McGowan applicants have the same requirements as other incoming students. Their high school GPA must be at least 87% and they must have at least a 1000 score on their SAT’s. However, beyond the realm of academia, students must also demonstrate leadership potential and a desire to stay and improve the City of Buffalo. Community service is an essential aspect of the McGowan process. Finally, all students must be in serious financial need in order to qualify for the scholarship.
The majority of the students come from Hutch Tech, but the program has tapped into many schools in the City of Buffalo, such as Sacred Heart, Holy Angels, City Honors, Nardin Academy, South Park High School, McKinley High School and Springville-Griffith High School.
Vanessa Torres, a junior in the program, says the team learning classes help ease the transition from high school to college: “Students are first apprehensive about coming here, and want to leave because it’s such a culture shock. The team learning classes help everyone talk about their ideas and feelings, and it makes everyone more comfortable to be in college.” Chantele Thompson, a sophomore in the program, says that Drs. Sroka and Stephenson are like fathers to her: “There’s a big support system here. We have the class above us, a class below us, and of course, Dr. Sroka and Dr. Stephenson; it creates a family.” Despite the demanding academic workload, compounded by the high standards set by Dr. Sroka and Dr. Stephenson, the overall QPA for the McGowan students is an impressive 3.2.
The team learning classes required for McGowan students are open to all students at Canisius, who are encouraged by advisors and faculty to enroll. We observed the English 101 team learning class, and found that about half of the students were non-McGowan students.
Additionally, the McGowan students are encouraged to attend academic conferences with Dr. Sroka and Dr. Stephenson. The grant money pays for half of the expenses, and the students fundraise the other half of the cost. This Spring, Dr. Sroka and Dr. Stephenson are taking two students to Waikiki to a conference to demonstrate the effectiveness of the collaborative learning model. Thus, students are given national exposure and are inspired to bring other ideas back to Buffalo.
Dr. Sroka and Dr. Stephenson said that although they cannot force the students to stay in the area upon graduation, the trend thus far is promising. “We see students change their mind from when they enter,” said Dr. Sroka. Chantele Thompson told us she was a marketing major initially, but changed her mind during this year and now wants to work with young people in Buffalo: “The scholarship reinforces the commitment to the City, and Canisius’s commitment to Buffalo,” she said.
Many of the students told us that if had not been for Canisius's McGowan Scholarships, they would either have been “broke and uninspired at other colleges,” or would not have gone to college at all after high school. Canisius is giving these students a chance to develop their talents, and is also encouraging them to use their knowledge and ability to help rebuild Buffalo. We hear teachers and professors talk about the “solution to Buffalo's problems” all the time. These two professors of English at Canisius are doing something about it.
Preethi Govindaraj is a first year MBA student at the University at Buffalo. Deepa Govindaraj is a freshman at the University at Buffalo. Her intended major is the liberal arts. Their detailed article on the Collaborative Learning Model at Canisius will appear in the 1 December Buffalo Report.