High School Equivalency Program (HEP) celebrates 40 years

 EUGENE, Ore. -- (May 12, 2008) -- High School Equivalency Program (HEP) alumni will gather with current students, faculty, staff and community members on Friday, May 16, at 6:15 p.m. for an anniversary open house celebration. HEP classrooms are located at 1685 E. 17th Ave., Eugene, Oregon, north of Agate Hall.

The open house will feature music, birthday cake, and remarks by alumni and friends, showcasing 40 years of equal access to educational opportunities for youth.

HEP is a federally funded outreach program of the University of Oregon's College of Education. It provides instruction in the university setting for individuals from migrant/seasonal farm worker backgrounds. Nearly 100 families each year entrust the program to provide youth a safe, structured environment for learning.

Obtaining the General Educational Development certificate, or GED is, for many, the first step to later success in higher education, employment and engaging in productive adult life.

For a majority of HEP students who come from Hispanic heritage and families of itinerant, seasonal farm labor, HEP offers the chance to focus a career path with completion of the GED and the exposure to the rich cultural experience of the university campus.

"Our students come to us from such diverse backgrounds, including some from monolingual Spanish-speaking communities," said HEP Director Joel Montemayor. "Others come from difficult situations, in terms of extreme poverty and the lack of social supports that go with it. And for some, it is the first time they have ever stepped foot on a university campus."

The program networks with secondary schools, community colleges and public agencies in both metropolitan areas and rural communities. It also reaches out to state migrant worker programs, and all sectors of human services and seasonal employment to extend educational opportunities to qualifying candidates. A central aim of the program is to create a pathway to continuing or post-secondary education.

"We are proud of our alumni, and the anniversary celebration is a way to honor the success of now more than 3,500 graduates of the program," said Montemayor.

University President Dave Frohnmayer and program faculty will honor HEP Program founder Arthur Pearl, Ph.D., in a reception prior to the open house. Pearl, 85, is a professor of education, and was the director of HEP and Upward Bound programs at the University of Oregon in 1967. He currently teaches at Washington State University.

About the University of Oregon
The University of Oregon is a world-class teaching and research institution and Oregon's flagship public university. The UO is a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU), an organization made up of 62 of the leading public and private research institutions in the United States and Canada. Membership in the AAU is by invitation only. The University of Oregon is one of only two AAU members in the Pacific Northwest.

Contact: Julie Brown, 541-346-3185, julbrown@uoregon.edu

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