13 August 2009

Fabulous fifty pass Access Summer School 2009

Photo opportunity: 7.10pm, Friday, August 14th, 2009.
Dundee University Students’ Association (Airlie Place entrance)
Successful students from the Access Summer School will be gathering on the steps. If it is raining, the students will be at Mono in the DUSA building.

Students who, through adversity, failed to obtain the grades to enter University will celebrate on Friday after ‘graduating’ from Access Summer School, a pioneering University of Dundee project offering an alternative route into higher education.

This year saw the Access Summer School celebrate its 17th birthday, and 60 out of the 67 students who embarked upon the 10-week course have completed the programme.

Of this number, 50 have now been offered undergraduate places at the University, something their lack of conventional entry qualifications would have otherwise prevented. This takes the number of students who have benefitted from the course since its inception to around 1200.

The Class of 2009 will be joined by family and friends to celebrate at the ceremony, which will also be attended by University Vice-Principal James Calderhead and distinguished guests.

Course Director, Dr John Blicharski, said 'Universities exist to offer each generation accumulated treasures of knowledge and wisdom and we are delighted that so many of these students have achieved such a high standard of work. They have our warmest congratulations.'

A highlight of the 2009 course was the visit by Fiona Hyslop MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning, who described the course as 'an excellent way of ensuring that individuals who do not meet conventional entry requirements but have a desire to study at a higher education level are given the opportunity to do so.'

Although unable to attend the ceremony, the Minister sent her congratulations to the successful students, and her best wishes for the continuing work of the University to widen access to, and participation in, Higher Education.

Anyone interested in attending future Access Summer Schools or accessing entry programmes to University should e-mail participation@dundee.ac.uk.

For media enquiries contact:
Grant Hill
Press Officer
University of Dundee
Nethergate Dundee, DD1 4HN
TEL: 01382 384768
E-MAIL: g.hill@dundee.ac.uk