e-Newsletter: April 2008
LPFI Welcomes New Members into the SMASH Family
In approximately two months, UC Berkeley will be teeming with our nation's future scientist, engineers, and mathematicians, but they will not be enrolled at the university. In fact, they will not be enrolled at any university. They are high school students participating in LPFI's Summer Math and Honors Academy (SMASH).
This month, LPFI accepted 32 new students into SMASH, including, for the first time, a Native American student. To officially welcome these students and their families to the SMASH community, LPFI held an orientation meeting on April 12th to review summer logistics and answer questions for the newcomers. Veteran parents shared their experiences and the positive impact has had on their children’s education and development.
Older students were also in attendance to welcome and interview "rookie" scholars. You can hear the student interviews at www.smashcast.org, our student-run podcast and blog. Welcome to the class of 2008!
IDEAL Recruitment Reception at Cal
More than 50 prospective IDEAL Scholars and their parents gathered at the UC Berkeley Alumni House last week to meet current Scholars, learn about the IDEAL program, and consider the opportunity LPFI presents to prospective Cal students.
At LPFI’s annual recruitment reception, Interim Vice Chancellor Harry Le Grande and Professor of Integrative Biology Tyrone Hayes, himself a Cal alum, welcomed new admits, and shared how programs like IDEAL can help students access one of the best undergraduate education programs in the country.
LPFI now is in the process of reviewing applications and will announce our 2008 cohort of IDEAL Scholars shortly.
2007 LPFI Annual Report, a Reflection on the Distance We Traveled
Whether literally driving first-time college students to their dorms or flying across the country to share our new workplace research, the Level Playing Field Institute has gone the distance in 2007 to promote our core belief that “fairness matters.”
As we look towards the horizon with our new leadership, we have also taken this time to reflect on the distanced traveled as an organization. In this moment of reflection, we want to thank every friend and family member of LPFI who has come with us on our journey.
Without you in 2007, we could not have:
- Graduated 100% of our first SMASH class in 2007;
- Assisted seven more IDEAL scholars to receive their hard-earned UC Berkeley diplomas;
- Interviewed 19,000 professionals for the Corporate Leavers survey;
- Published Giving Notice by founder, Freada Kapor Klein;
- Continued to expand LPFI in both staff and participants served.
For financial statements and more about LPFI programs, please read The Distance Traveled: LPFI Annual Report 2007 (PDF).
Upcoming Dates
- IDEAL Graduation - May 21 at UC Berkeley Alumni House (4-6pm)
- SMASH Academy Summer Session - June 22 - July 27 at UC Berkeley