Center of Excellence tutors, mentors on-base students Published Aug. 29, 2007 By Airman 1st Class Julius Delos Reyes 95th Air Base Wing Public Affairs EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- Starting in the 2007 school year, students will find help from a newly-founded organization on base -- the Center of Excellence. The Center of Excellence's goals include improving grade point averages and standardizing testing scores, increasing graduation and passing rate statistics, reducing juvenile crime rates and increasing college-level entrance examination successes. The center was established during a lease-signing ceremony June 15 at the old Edwards Middle School, which is now home to the program. The Center of Excellence is the culmination of several programs that aims to improve schools on base, said Cathi Cleveland, 95th Contracting Squadron business operations director and Muroc School-Improvement Partnership president. The Center of Excellence is all about contributing to the quality of life at Edwards by providing expanded educational opportunities, said Dr. Sue Jacobsen, force development director. The foundation is based on partnerships between Muroc Joint Unified School District, Edwards and Cerro Coso Community College. "Our vision began with the combination of two principles - 'No child is left behind' and 'it takes a village to raise a child,'" she said. Before- and after-school programs offered through the Center of Excellence include mentoring and tutoring, vocational educational programs, life skills training and programs that supplement those offered by the school district, she said. They will also have a gifted and talented student education program, Dr. Jacobsen said. The center will also facilitate educational tours, shadow programs, internships, student volunteer opportunities and student temporary employment program. Five colleges, including Cerro Coso, Chapman University, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Southern Illinois University and Webster University, are currently situated in the Center. "The colleges will expand from the current programs offered for adults and meeting military members' requirements for their Community College of the Air Force degree," Dr. Jacobsen said. "This include opportunities for high school students in areas that cannot be provided by the school district because of budget and resource restrictions." The Center of Excellence is funded by private donations and staffed by volunteers. "There will be no Air Force funds used in the programs," Ms. Cleveland said. "We look for organizations and non-profit agencies to provide us with donations." The success of the Center of Excellence is dependent upon community involvement through volunteers and the expanded partnerships between Edwards, the school district and the colleges offering on-base programs, Dr. Jacobsen said. "Every volunteer can make a difference for the future of our children," she said.