Program Goals

The University of North Carolina Mathematics and Science Education Network (MSEN) Pre-College Program (PCP) is designed to broaden the pool of students pursuing mathematics-and science-based majors and careers. The PCP actively recruits and prepares students of average to above average ability in grades 6-12 who have not been sufficiently exposed to mathematics-and science-based courses and careers. Participation in the PCP by local agencies (LEAs) is entirely voluntary.

The PCP comprises a range of programs, some offered at the students' schools and some on the university campuses. Programs in the schools' systems are in partnership with MSEN and are primarily supported by local funds. Programs at the universities are supported in part by legislative appropriation and in part by grants from a variety of federal agencies, private foundations, and other sources.

To succeed at this mission, the MSEN Pre-College Program offer academic enrichment classes and activities to students, and special instructor training workshops to teachers who wish to teach Pre-College Program classes. The MSEN Pre-College Program has completed eleven full years of operation with notable success. The high level of effectiveness achieved through the pre-college effort has prompted plans by MSEN to continue and to expand the program in the future. The MSEN Pre-College Program operates at six University of North Carolina-system campuses:

• Elizabeth City State University
• Fayetteville State University
• Greensboro Area Mathematics and Science Education Center: GAMSEC (a consortium between NC A&T State University and UNC-Greensboro)
• NC State University
• UNC-Chapel Hill
• UNC-Charlotte

In 1994-95, over 3,000 students from over 100 North Carolina schools participated in the MSEN Pre-College Program. The Program impacts students in grades six through twelve by introducing and implementing a combination of academic enrichment activities into each student's core curriculum. Learning-based extracurricular activities, career awareness programs, teacher training workshops, and parent involvement activities also figure prominently into the Pre-College Program experience.

Since 1986, the MSEN Pre-College Program has been supported by funding from the National Action Council of Minority Engineers, The Carnegie Corporation, the Southeastern Educational Improvement Lab, the National Science Foundation, the State of North Carolina, Federal Title II Collaborative Funds, the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation, the Glaxo Foundation, First Union Foundation, IBM, Carolina Power and Light Company, and the Hearst Foundation.

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