Family approach credited as key to Silas Craft Collegians Program’s success.
Not as glamorous, however, are the community college programs that provide the intense coaching and remedial training necessary to guide students who hovered near failure in high school to a college degree. In fact, when administrators at Howard Community College in Columbia, Md., were planning the 2000 launch of the Silas Craft Collegians Program, which caters to at-risk students at the low end of the academic preparedness spectrum, they had to start from scratch.
“When we were planning the program, we could not find a program like this out there, anywhere. Of course we did not want to have to reinvent the wheel, but we had to invent the wheel,” says Dr. Pamela M. Cornell, director of the Craft Collegians Program.
Craft Collegians are typically in the program for three years, as the first is dedicated to completing developmental courses necessary to move on to regular HCC classes. However, the program is customized to fit an individual student’s goals and needs, as some may finish in more or less time.
Though originally designed to respond to challenges Black males face, Cornell says the program is open to all high school seniors who struggle academically, not just students who “have excellent grades because that’s not whom we’re targeting.
“We are looking for students who have potential but who have not shown that potential in their previous high school level. Their potential and performance has a gap, but we know they’re capable,” Cornell adds.
