The University of Dundee's Access Summer School has again being cited as a national example of best practice in widening access to higher education.
The school's director, Dr John Blicharski and one of its success-story former students are travelling to Westminster on March 19 to tell politicians about how this innovative course has helped hundreds of students potentially deterred from higher education to achieve their goals.
Dr Blicharski and AmandaWhitehead are attending the launch of Universities UK's publication "Social Class and Participation in Higher Education: From Elitism to Inclusion 2" at the House of Commons terrace marquee. MPs will hear about several UK projects, including the University's Wider Access Study Centre and its internationally recognised Access Summer School. Amanda has first hand experience of the Access Summer School's value. She was unhappy in a dissatisfying college course but believed she had no other options after falling short of the grades she needed to win a place at university. After successfully completing the Access Summer School, Amanda graduated with an MA in Philosophy from the University of Dundee in 1999 and now works in the Wider Access Study Centre. She said, "I heard about the Access Summer School, was lucky enough to be offered a place and subsequently passed. This opened the door to the subjects I was better suited to studying, particularly philosophy.
"I feel I have come full circle. If it wasn't for the Access Summer School, I would not have entered university, got a good degree and now a full-time job helping others do the same!"
Dr Blicharski said, "The Access Summer School has a proven track record of success and we are delighted to visit the Commons as part of our celebrations of the tenth year of the course. Last year the Access summer school helped 59 disadvantaged students earn a place at the University, proportionately 10% more than the previous year. As well as 27 new arts and social science entrants, 17 science and engineering entrants, 11 future legal eagles, 2 accountants and one nurse, last year the University admitted its first ever dental student through our course.
"We plan to build on this success and continue breaking barriers in 2002."
At the beginning of this year, the University of Dundee was named in the UK's top five "Access Elite" universities to successfully combine wider access with low drop out rates and excellence in teaching and research in a league table in the Times Higher Education Supplement.
The University’s Vice Principal Professor David Swinfen said, "To widen access without compromising the highest standards of excellence in the academic fields is a difficult trick to pull off but the commitment of the University over a considerable number of years to a pioneering access programme in tandem with improving and developing the best teaching and research is clearly paying off."
Dr Blicharski can be contacted on 01382 334124
Note to Editors:
For More Information see UK Universities release
Picture Caption:
Dr John Blicharski and Amanda Whitehead of the University of
Dundee's Wider Access Study Centre