COMMUNITY ACADEMIC CENTER CAC

BEGINNINGS Made possible through a large gift from Eleanore Woods Beals, '50, and her husband, Vaughn Beals Vision of improving academic achievement in Buffalo A team comprised of Buffalo State community engagement and education leaders translated this vision into the Community Academic Center Desire to further increase Buffalo State’s presence in its West Side neighborhood CAC

CONTEXT The overall national public high school graduation rate for the class of 2003 was 70 percent. There is a wide disparity in the public high school graduation rates of white and minority students. Nationally, the graduation rate for white students was 78 percent, compared with 72 percent for Asian students, 55 percent for African-American students, and 53 percent for Hispanic students. For African American and Hispanic males the gap is even larger and less than half of these young men finish high school. (Greene & Winters, 2006) CAC

CONTEXT CAC

BUFFALO’S WEST SIDE Buffalo’s most diverse region with over 70 languages spoken 24% of all refugees that come into New York State settle in the Buffalo area In 2011 Buffalo resettled 1,600 refugees; the expected number in 2012 is over 2,000 CAC

BUFFALO’S WEST SIDE CAC

BUFFALO’S YOUTH 42% of youth (ages 5-18) in the city of Buffalo live in poverty. The high school graduation rate for the city is 54%. Without a high school diploma, a young person is twice as likely to be unemployed. On the West Side 41.4% of the total population and 61.2% of youth under age 18 living below the poverty line. Both values are almost triple national averages. CAC

BEGINNINGS Site identified at 214 Grant Street just South of Lafayette and Grant Renovations to 214 Grant Street began in July of 2011 CAC

COMMUNITY ACADEMIC CENTER “Buffalo State is proud to build on strong partnerships with its West Side neighbors by establishing the Community Academic Center…The CAC will be a place for us to work with and serve the people of Buffalo by collaborating on outstanding cradle-to-career educational opportunities. We are enormously grateful to the Beals family for making this center possible.” ~ President Aaron Podolefsky, 2011 CAC

COMMUNITY ACADEMIC CENTER CAC

COMMUNITY ACADEMIC CENTER The excitement generated by the new center has attracted many visitors. For example, SUNY Trustee Eunice Lewin, Assemblyperson Sean Ryan, and SUNY Chancellor Nancy Zimpher listen as students from BPS International School #45 describe the importance of learning about science and going to college. CAC

MISSION The Buffalo State Community Academic Center (CAC) serves as a site where people from higher education and the local community meet to engage each other about matters of importance to children, families, and the West Side neighborhood. The center's mission is to coordinate and anchor cradle-to-career educational support programming for youth on Buffalo's West Side. Recognizing that the success of children is directly related to a viable social and economic infrastructure, the center also supports micro-enterprise development and partners with neighborhood revitalization efforts. With a special emphasis on the needs of refugee families, the center serves as a "hub" for work being done at various satellite locations in partnership with a variety of community-based organizations. CAC

COMMUNITY ACADEMIC CENTER Unique by design The CAC is unique by design geographically placing the college within the community pushing past the traditional boundaries between campus and community more than just its physical location, the CAC places itself in a distinctive space in terms of the services provided. CAC

THREE PRONGS CAC Direct Programming Integrates Buffalo State students and volunteers into the West Side community in programs that support youth and families. Support Programming Brings Buffalo State students to community partner sites to support the good work that they are doing Networking Coordinating and collaborating with agencies that promote effect service provision Using a three-pronged approach, the Center provides direct programming to youth and families, supports existing programs at partner organizations, and enhances the network between organizations supporting youth and families.

DIRECT PROGRAMMING Buffalo Beginnings Journey’s End Girls Inc. YWCA Career Counseling Buffalo State Higher Education Administration Department Visual Art Program Buffalo State Art Education Department Explorations in Science Buffalo State Earth Science and Science Education Department Girl Scouts Girl Scouts of WNY US Citizenship Classes Jericho Road Ministries Advanced Reading and Writing Jericho Road Ministries CAC

VISUAL ART PROGRAM Partner of our AmeriCorps After School Volunteers Two graduate level Art Education students at Buffalo State design an original curriculum and teach weekly lessons Registration based program for youth in grades 4-8 CAC

GLOBAL VOICES “Celebrating the Immigrant and Refugee Experience - Yesterday and Today" Young Audiences of WNY, in collaboration with the CAC and Buffalo Public Schools received a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. A large scale mural (2,400 sq feet) will be painted by muralist Augustina Droze in collaboration with neighborhood youth and families. In addition, an art installation on Grant Street will incorporate narratives from youth and families on the West Side. CAC

A COMMUNITY SPACE Buffalo Public Multilingual Parent Drop-ins Buffalo English Language Learners Network U.S. Citizenship Classes, Jericho Road Ministries Reading Comprehension and Writing Intensive Workshops, Jericho Road Ministries Buffalo Homeschoolers Coalition CAC

SUPPORT PROGRAMS AmeriCorps After School Volunteers Monthly Service Corps Service-Learning Coordination for the School of Education CAC

NETWORKING Buffalo English Language Learners’ Network Afterschool Educational Initiatives Roundtable West Side Promise Neighborhood Planning Grant Proposal Global Voices: “ Celebrating the Immigrant and Refugee Experience - Yesterday and Today" West Side Voices Roundtable Series Youth Leadership : October 24, 6:00PM Entrepreneurs : November 28, 6:00PM CAC

For questions or additional information please contact us: John Siskar Senior Advisor for Buffalo State Educational Pipeline Initiatives Meg Dee Director, Community Academic Center Maureen McCarthy Program Coordinator, Community Academic Center Stop by and visit us at 214 Grant Street Buffalo, NY Visitors welcome, workers REALLY welcome! CAC COMMUNITY ACADEMIC CENTER