News
Students at a Paying for College Bus Tour stop, Reading, PA
Fattah conference February 15–17 spreads the word: A college graduate, medical or law degree is within the reach of all students
Philadelphia, Feb. 15, 2008—Congressman Chaka Fattah and lead sponsor The Sallie Mae Fund, will help more than 1,200 high school and college students from Philadelphia and beyond to aim higher in their educational goals this weekend at the 22nd Annual Fattah Conference on Higher Education.
The Fattah Conference will take place at the Sheraton Philadelphia Center City Hotel at 17th and Race Streets from Feb. 15–17.
Over the past two decades, the conference has advised, motivated and assisted more than 15,000 students from underserved communities, to pursue and attain undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees.
Founded in 1987 by Congressman Fattah as the Graduate Opportunities Conference for students attending colleges and universities in Pennsylvania, it now attracts students throughout the commonwealth and other states in the Middle Atlantic region and beyond. Many of the students continue to have connections to the Philadelphia area and Pennsylvania schools.
The conference, underwritten by The Sallie Mae Fund, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing access to higher education, offers pertinent information, motivational speakers and workshops to young people who are looking ahead to college. As lead conference sponsor, The Sallie Mae Fund will conduct six of its popular “Paying for College” workshops on Friday morning for some 800 students from Philadelphia area high schools to learn about the college application process and how to access scholarships, grants and other funding. The Sallie Mae Fund also will provide financial aid resources, such as directories of scholarships geared for African American and Latino students.
“Now 22 years into offering this conference to students who want to improve their life chances through a college or graduate education, what I find is the more things change, the more they stay the same,” said Congressman Fattah. “Higher education is critical. Being prepared for college before you go to college is critical. Short of coming from a wealthy family, young people need, in a very timely fashion to enter into the application process for getting student loans, scholarships and grants. The Fattah Conference on Higher Education does all of that with the students who attend.”
For more than a decade, we have been pleased to partner with Congressman Fattah to sponsor this unique conference,” said Kathleen deLaski, president of The Sallie Mae Fund. “We know it is vital to prepare all students, regardless of their backgrounds, for a global economy that requires a highly trained and educated workforce and where degrees are becoming the ‘universal passport.’”
In addition to the workshops sponsored by The Sallie Mae Fund and panel discussions throughout the weekend, university representatives from a multitude of colleges and disciplines will provide students with information that will assist them with the next steps. Keynote speakers attending the Annual Fattah Conference over the past 22 years have included noted civil rights leader, Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, renowned brain surgeon, Dr. Benjamin Carson, long-time editor-in-chief of Essence magazine, Susan Taylor, and other prominent individuals from across the country.
In 2004, The Sallie Mae Fund pledged funding of a $2 million endowment grant to ensure that the conference continues for years to come. For more free information about planning and paying for college, visit www.salliemaefund.org.
Conference attendance is open to those who pre-register and are pre-selected by counselors and or professors from their respective schools. It is free to those students who are accepted.
###
The Sallie Mae Fund, a charitable organization sponsored by Sallie Mae, achieves its mission—to increase access to a postsecondary education for America's students—by supporting programs and initiatives that help open doors to higher education, preparing families for their investment, and bridging the gap when no one else can. For more information, visit www.salliemaefund.org.
Contact
Patricia Nash Christel
The Sallie Mae Fund
703-984-5382
patricia.christel@salliemae.com
