Aug. 4, 2010
For Immediate Release
Campbellsville University's three-week Summer Education Experience program prepares students for college life. SEE program participants for 2010 include from left: Front row - Quinn Judd, Greensburg, Ky.; Rebecca Nehring, Williamstown, Ky.; Alex Martin, Unionville, Tenn.; Kathryn Maldini, Bardstown, Ky.; Christen Spradlin, Monticello, Ky.; and Kristen Lizer, Lexington, Ky. Back row— Mark Lancaster, Lawrenceburg, Ky.; Tyler Bland, Campbellsville, Ky.; Tyvone Reardon, Springfield, Ky.; Ryan Gibson, Louisville, Ky.; Jacob Sims, Danville, Ky.; Zach Elza, Hebron, Ky.; Cody Clark, Lebanon Junction, Ky.; Brandon Lott, Louisville, Ky.; and Jordan Majors, Smiths Grove, Ky. (Campbellsville University Photo by Christina Miller)
By Christina Miller, office assistant
Campbellsville University recently gave 15 students the experience of getting a head start on their college career.
Fifteen students participated in the Summer Education Experience (SEE) which gives students the opportunity to grow academically and socially, according to Kevin Propes, director of the Center for Introductory Studies.
The three-week program prepares incoming freshmen for the fall semester with time spent studying English, math and university success skills. Adjunct professors teach the classes.
Ron Rafferty, a member of the university's Board of Trustees who serves as an adjunct instructor, teaches math with the SEE program, said the program “helps a group of young people get acclimated to college life without 400 other new students also trying to find their way around.”
A total of 51 students applied for the program.
Karen McAnnelly, an adjunct instructor in English, said, “I feel the Summer Educational Experience at Campbellsville University is one of the most beneficial programs for incoming freshman students I have ever seen.
“There are so many advantages to the program, both academically and socially, that the students cannot help but benefit from all aspects of it. I particularly enjoy being an instructor for the program because I am very familiar with the struggles incoming students might encounter, as I am a high school English teacher who tries to ready my students for their post-secondary education.”
Propes said, “When other freshmen come in at the beginning of the fall semester, it's like the students who participated in SEE are sophomores because they already have experienced campus life. It's a chance to get ahead and adjust from high school to college before the semester begins.”
Mark Lancaster, a student from Lawrenceburg, Ky. who participated in the SEE program, said, “It's opened my eyes to the college experience that I will endure in the fall. SEE has prepared me for upcoming classes.”
Rebecca Nehring, of Williamstown, Ky., is another student who participated in the summer program. Because of the opportunity with SEE, she tested out of all four introductory studies classes. “I came in thinking I wouldn't test out of anything, but I tested out of all four. That puts me a semester ahead,” she said.
This year was the eighth of the SEE Program's existence at Campbellsville University. The Van Lunen Foundation gave Campbellsville University the start-up money for the program, which is now being continued through other supporting foundations.
Campbellsville University is a widely acclaimed Kentucky-based Christian university with over 3,000 students offering 45 undergraduate programs, 16 master's degrees and five postgraduate areas. The website for complete information is campbellsville.edu.