Seton Hall University partners with high schools for college credit

In my Back to School opening article, I shared that I embarked on a journey to develop a stronger academic relationship between our schools and Seton Hall University, South Orange.

The first phase of the relationship was to provide our high school students with greater access to college level classes. That has been accomplished through Seton Hall’s Project Acceleration. Project Acceleration allows high school students in New Jersey to get an early start on college. While still in high school, students enroll concurrently within the College of Arts and Sciences at Seton Hall University. In essence, the high school teacher becomes a professor through Seton Hall. A student’s regular high school class doubles as a Seton Hall college class earning them three or four credits per course. Over the course of their high school career, students can earn up to 22 credits from Seton Hall University for approved courses taken in their high school. The col-lege credits earned through Project Acceleration are accept-ed at more than 200 colleges and universities. Immaculata and St. Thomas Aquinas join 175 high schools and approximately 3,000 students around the country who participate in Project Acceleration each year. 
Immaculata and St. Thomas Aquinas joins Saint Joseph High School in Metuchen, which already participates in Project Acceleration. The administrations at Immaculata High School and St. Thomas Aquinas High School spent many months work-ing with the university to prepare for the project.

St. Thomas Aquinas is starting with two classes — world literature, a senior level class, and Religion 2, a sophomore level class. Immaculata has eight courses with Project Acceleration — calculus, computer science, Spanish, chemistry, music theory, European history, English literature, and English language.Both Immaculata and St. Thomas Aquinas High Schools are enthusiastic about opportunities for students afforded by the partnership. Harry Zeigler, associate principal at St. Thomas Aquinas High School, says that, “The dual enrollment partnership with Seton Hall provides our students with the invaluable opportunity to earn college credit during their time at St. Thomas Aquinas, offering them yet another academic advantage as they prepare to enter the competitive world of higher education.” 

Joan Silo, head of school at Immaculata High School, is also eager for the partnership: “Immaculata is excited to offer our students the opportunity to take college level courses through our distinguished teachers and challenging curriculum, in part-nership with an elite Catholic university. The value is unmatched. When participating students graduate from Immaculata High School, they will bring credits with them, and they will be fully prepared for the rigor of college as they will have already engaged academically at that level.”On Oct. 2, I traveled to Seton Hall University with Joan Silo and Harry Zeigler for an offi cial signing of the partnership between Seton Hall and the two high schools. We met with Chris-topher Kaiser, associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, and Peter Shoemaker, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. We are delighted by this new part-nership as we work to grow the hearts and minds of our teachers and students. Thank you for your ongoing support as we continue to strengthen our schools through rigorous academics as we prepare students to be Disciples of Christ in this world and the next.Dr. Lockwood is superintendent, diocesan Office of Schools