A group of UB experts and students will hold a panel discussion on ways to strengthen efforts to make UB more accessible to underrepresented communities.

The panel, “Expanding Access to Higher Education: The Pathway to Prosperity Working Together to Develop Sustainable Solution,” will take place at noon April 28 in the Student Union Theatre, North Campus. It will address such topics as access to visiting the university, student expectations, counselor-to-student ratios and the application and financial aid processes.

Nate Daun-Barnett, associate professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy, Graduate School of Education, will give opening remarks before sitting on the panel with Karen King, program manager of Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Partnership; Ramone Alexander, project director for the UB Liberty Partnerships Program; Lee Melvin, vice provost for enrollment management; and Dante Iozzo, a UB student and co-director of the student-run Primer Project.

The discussion will cover three areas:

• College enrollment challenges faced by students in under-resourced and low-performing schools.
• Discussion of existing programs aimed at improving accessibility, including UB’s FAFSA Completion Project, which produced a 61-percent increase in Buffalo Public Schools students’ financial aid requests, and the UB student-run Primer Project.
• A brainstorming session that explores possible collaborations and ways of increasing student volunteer efforts.

Inspiring collaboration is one of the panel goals, according the Andrew Tabashneck, a graduate student in the School of Social Work who helped organize the event with fellow student Kyle Reiser and many partnering student organizations and informal faculty advisors.

“Increasing effectiveness is part of the session, but we also want to give UB students a vehicle to make a difference in the life of a child and a community as a whole,” says Tabashneck. “We want to give current students a chance to make higher education accessible to as many people as possible.”

For questions and additional information, contact Tabashneck at astabash@buffalo.edu.