Aventis Pharmaceuticals announced Monday that a $45,000 grant has been awarded to the Office for Student Development of the School of Pharmacy. This grant will be used, said Asst. Dean for Student Development and Director of the Educational Opportunitiy Fund Nancy Cintron-Budet, "to cover operating costs, living [costs] and trips to retail pharmacies" for the office's Pharmacy Education Program.
PEP, a six-week summer program founded in 1981 for current high school juniors, is geared towards students from disadvantaged or economically, culturally and racially underrepresented backgrounds, Cintron-Budet said. She said PEP students can "take advantage of different opportunities in the program" and said the program will "diversify opportunity in the field of pharmacy."
In reference to the application process, Cintron-Budet said, "We have an application [available] via website... We'll be sending packets of information to high schools." Guidance counselors, teachers and club advisors will distribute applications to motivated students with "untapped talent" in cities including Newark, Trenton and Jersey City where there is a low per capita income. Qualifications applicants must have "[good] grades in high school math and science courses, [prior] courses in bio and chem., advanced placement and PSAT [scores]," she said.
The 15 students selected for PEP will study chemistry, biology, math and English with five instructors, peer counselors and tutors, Cintron-Budet said. The non-credit course will run from June 28 through Aug. 8, and Cintron-Budet said one of the primary objectives of the program is to "identify talented students...who [may] want to come to Rutgers. ... This is an opportunity to sharpen their skills and be the future health care leaders."
Associate Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations Windy Smith said, "Aventis has had a long standing relationship with Rutgers. This [grant] was a result of them being invited to a presentation about what Rutgers had to offer." Cintron-Budet said Aventis "knew we had a high school pre-college program."
"Aventis thought there was a lot more here than [they] knew of," Smith said.
Smith said the company has never before given a grant to PEP, but has had a "long standing relationship" with the University. Smith said the company has previously supported the Science Career Program at Douglass College, the Women's State Legislature Program at the Eagleton Institute of Politics and the Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy.
"Aventis is dedicated to improving life by treating and preventing human disease through the discovery and development of human vaccines and innovative prescription drugs for important areas," according to a prepared statement.
"The impact will be significant. [The grant] will allow the program to grow and benefit students in need," Smith said.
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