Hanging Out and Hanging On: From the Projects to the Campus

(Hardback)

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Description

Hanging Out and Hanging on: From the Projects to the Campus chronicles the progress of students from Hartford and Manchester, Connecticut, who are enrolled in the Dual College Enrollment Program (DCEP) at Eastern Connecticut State University. Hanging Out sets the stage for describing the program by first reaching back in time to tell of Dr. Nezs own beginnings in Puerto Rico and Newark, New Jersey, of her struggles as a non-English speaking elementary school student and her triumphs in high school and college. The next section of the book describes the lives of Latinos in Connecticut and the social, economic, and educational challenges they have faced over time. Her personal experiences and desire to improve the lives of the underprivileged led Dr. Nez to create the DCEP Program. Through the words of faculty and staff and the personal accounts of six DCEP students, you will read stories of desperation and hope, of struggle and triumph, of heart-breaking failure and stunning success. We hope their story can serve as a model for other communities to follow.

Reviews

Hanging Out and Hanging On is a compelling and engaging book. By combining socioeconomic background and personal narrative, the author humanizes the statistics and contextualizes the personal struggles of the students whose lives she documents. Nunez adds an additional dimension to this work by describing some of her own struggles and explaining to the reader how she has used the insights from her life to construct an effective program to support student success. Listening to the students stories allows the reader to hear the power of a liberal education working firsthand in these students lives. Their minds open to growth and insight as they describe their journey through the university. This book should be read by anyone who is concerned about the success and uplift of all students who struggle with poverty and stress in their own families and manage to succeed as college students in spite of the challenges. -- Jane Fried, professor and director of the student development in higher education Masters Degree in Counseling program at Central Connecticut State University and the author of several books on higher education, including Transformative Learning through Engagement: Student Affairs Practice as
Hanging Out and Hanging On: From the Projects to the Campus is that rare book that puts facts and figures in the context of the human condition. It does more than just identify the challenge we have in promoting access and opportunity to Americas students as one nation under God. It brings life to that challenge and explicitly outlines what works and why it works. Elsa Nez and the community at Eastern Connecticut State University have demonstrated what can be done to truly impact the opportunity gap.As someone who made it from the projects to the campus myself, I found this book to be inspirational and authentic. -- Peter Rosa, senior program officer for the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving and former member of the Board of Trustees for the Connecticut State University System
Dr. Elsa Nunezs Hanging Out and Hanging On: From the Projects to the Campus shines a beacon of hope on inner-city students, illuminating a path by which they can travel the road to college and away from the cycles of poverty, crime, and societal, parental,and theirpersonalexpectations of low achievement. Rooted in Dr. Nunezs own early educational challenges as a Puerto Rican immigrant and inspired by the highly successful Dual College Enrollment Program instituted at Eastern Connecticut State University, the school over which she presides, Hanging Out and Hanging On shows educators how to walk the walk as well as talk the talk. The book also gives voice to the participants of the Dual College Enrollment program: Latino and African-American students from the hood whose stories of success and how they achieved itillustrate the programs basic tenets of inspiration, opportunity, and support. -- Wally Lamb, former English professor at the University of Connecticut and author of four books including We are Water, 14 year volunteer at York Prison in Niantic, producing two collections of writings by the female inmates
Elsa Nez is one of the most forward-looking, ambitious university presidents in America. She has written a path-finding book that is a roadmap for reaching and educating students who are often overlooked in the system. Her writing style is engaging, authentic, and honest. Everyone from college administrators to high school teachers to parents should read Nezs groundbreaking book. -- Jeff Benedict, Eastern alumnus and New York Times bestselling author of 11 books, including, The System, frequent writer for Sports Illustrated

Author Bio

Elsa Nez , a native of Puerto Rico, grew up in Newark, New Jersey. During a career spanning more than 40 years, she has served as a faculty member and administrator at colleges and universities in New York City, Massachusetts, and Maine. For the past nine years, she has led Eastern Connecticut State University as its president.