Nicholas Academic Centers Complete “2010 Visiting Scholar Series” with Chapman University
Contact
Robert G. Magnuson, 949-290-9382
Next Year’s Program Will Add More Lectures Designed to Introduce Santa Ana High School Students to a College Academic Environment
Charlene Baldwin, Dean of Chapman University's Leatherby Libraries, discusses a slide in her presentation, “Children of West Africa.SANTA ANA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Nicholas Academic Centers on Saturday hosted the final segment in their monthly “2010 Visiting Scholar Series,” conducted in collaboration with Chapman University. Since September, high school students from Santa Ana have heard Chapman professors discuss topics ranging from the origin of mathematics to indigenous cultures. The lecture series will be expanded in the spring semester, starting in January 2011.
The series is designed to introduce students to a college academic environment, while strengthening ties with highly respected local universities.
“This has been a very valuable partnership with Chapman University and we plan to build on it with more lectures next year,” said Dr. Corina A. Espinoza, Assistant Executive Director of the Nicholas Academic Centers (NACs). “We are reaching students at a time when they are making critical decisions about their future and we want them to see firsthand how meaningful, and fun, the college experience can be.”
In January, Dr. Espinoza will become the Centers’ Executive Director, succeeding retired Superior Court Judge Jack Mandel, who will assume an emeritus role.
The lectures are held on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to noon at the Nicholas Academic Center I Annex at 313 North Birch Street (2nd Floor) in downtown Santa Ana.
On Saturday, Associate Professor of Law Ernesto Hernandez-Lopez discussed “Immigrations, Citizenship & the 14th Amendment.” The Latin American business magazine, PODER-DINERO, recently named Prof. Hernandez-Lopez one of “the 50 leading Colombian intellectuals” in the United States. Also on Saturday, Dean Charlene Baldwin of the Leatherby Libraries presented a slide show on the “Children of West Africa,” which introduced the students to the cultures and people of the region.
About the Nicholas Academic Centers
The Nicholas Academic Centers serve hundreds of students in the Santa Ana Unified School District on a daily basis throughout the school year and summer. This fall, 66 Nicholas Academic Center graduates are attending college, including some of the nation’s best four-year institutions such as Georgetown, Smith, Haverford, UC Berkeley, UCLA and UC Irvine. To date, NAC students have earned nearly $2 million in scholarships and financial aid.
The Centers are based on a program started by Judge Mandel in the early 1990s to fill an urgent need for after-school tutoring and mentoring in Santa Ana. In 2007, Judge Mandel partnered with Henry Nicholas, co-founder and former Co-Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer of Broadcom Corporation, to create the Nicholas Academic Centers. The first center was established in 2008 and a second center opened the following year.
The Nicholas Academic Centers are supported by the Henry T. Nicholas, III Foundation. NAC I is located in downtown Santa Ana (412 W. 4th Street, First Floor, Santa Ana, CA. 92701); NAC II is located on the campus of Valley High School in Santa Ana (1801 S. Greenville St., Santa Ana, CA. 92704). The Centers provide free tutoring and mentoring for students, as well as computers, healthy snacks and a safe place to study. Become a fan of the Nicholas Academic Centers on Facebook.
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Contacts
for Nicholas Academic Centers
Robert G. Magnuson, 949-290-9382