AVID – Advancement Via Individual Determination – Awards First Ever
Demonstration Site for Higher Education
San Diego, CA (February 11, 2016) – AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination), a San Diego based non-profit, proven college-readiness system, announced that Odessa College (OC) was selected as the first AVID for Higher Education (AHE) National Demonstration Site, a postsecondary institution that supports their students in becoming confident college students and graduates. The college, which originally implemented AHE in 2011, was selected through a rigorous application screening and review process.
“We know that a great amount of responsibility comes with this distinction,” said Dr. Gregory D. Williams, president of Odessa College in a press conference at the college Thursday afternoon. “On behalf of the dedicated and hardworking Odessa College team, we thank AVID for choosing us. We will now continue to serve students in historically unprecedented ways and will open our doors to others who are inspired by our efforts and our results. We thank AVID for their support, their guidance, and their desire to expand educational opportunities.”
AHE is the newest component in the AVID College Readiness and Success System and currently is implemented in 40-plus colleges and universities (2-year and 4-year institutions) across the country. Its mission is to support colleges and universities in increasing retention and success among underrepresented student populations in college. Nationally, AVID serves over 1.2 million students in elementary and secondary school districts.
"Odessa College is continuing the AVID tradition of helping underrepresented students in college achieve the American dream, and we congratulate them on the dedication and hard work of their staff,” said Sandy Husk, CEO of AVID Center. Husk further noted that OCwas selected as an AVID National Demonstration Site because it has implemented the AHE components throughout the campus and is prepared to showcase its model for other postsecondary sites.
The AVID National Demonstration School Program was established in 1993 with a $250,000 award from the Charles A. Dana Foundation of New York. As part of the AVID Demonstration Sites Network, campuses develop a model program with campus-wide participation. Postsecondary campuses from around the nation that are preparing to implement AHE will visit Odessa College to observe a highly evolved AVID for Higher Education system.
ABOUT AVID
AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination), is a non-profit, proven college-readiness system that closes the achievement gap. Today, AVID is implemented in approximately 5,000 schools in 44 states, the District of Columbia, and 16 countries/ territories, and impacts more than 800,000 students in grades K–12 and in 43 post-secondary institutions. The AVID College Readiness System transforms a school’s academic culture to increase the number of students who enroll in four-year colleges and succeed in higher education. For more information, please visit www.AVID.org.