Office of Public Information and Communications Columbia University New York, NY 10027 (212) 854-5573
On Thursday, December 7, Columbia University's Double Discovery program will celebrate 30 years of success in helping inner-city high school students attain college educations as it announces plans to establish on-line college information centers in churches in Harlem.
Ninety-eight percent of all DDC students finish high school and enter college, and within four years, 66 percent graduate from college. To qualify for DDC, students must be either low-income or first generation college-bound; most DDC students either live or attend school in Harlem. DDC college graduation rates exceed the national combined rate for all racial groups (58 percent) and the rates for African Americans and Latinos (48 and 44 percent, respectively).
Started in 1965 by Columbia College students, including the current Dean of Students, Roger Lehecka, DDC was one of the 18 original Upward Bound pilots funded by the federal Office of Economic Development as part of the nation's war on poverty.
More than 300 current and former students, parents and friends of DDC will attend the program, which begins at 7:30 PM in the rotunda of Low Memorial Library on the campus of Columbia University. Speakers will include George Rupp, President of Columbia University, 1968 DDC graduate Clifford Jernigan, and former Mayor David N. Dinkins. Current and former students will be available for interviews.
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