A state committee will study college partnership possibilities in an attempt to get minority students through school.

The Illinois General Assembly’s Joint Committee on Minority Student Access to Higher Education has tentatively scheduled a hearing for March 3 at NIU to discuss the matter, said Mike Monaghan, Illinois Senate Democratic staff member.

The hearing will look at what partnership possibilities between higher education and and other educational institutions are available. These institutions include junior colleges in the Chicago area as well as four-year universities and colleges students attend upon high school graduation.

Sen. Miguel del Valle, co-chairman of the committee, said the program will work with minority students throughout their education. “We are not simply concerned with enrollment, but with keeping the students in the universities, working with them until they graduate and then helping them find a job,” del Valle said.

He said he would like to use the Education Partnership Act as a vehicle for ammendments to insure success for the program. “In my opinion, legislative action is the best way to help the program since voluntary action is not probable.”

A major goal of the Education Partnership Act is to “create equality between all levels of education,” said Trish Caveny, Illinois House Democratic staff member. One proposed idea is to create a tutoring system that would enable students in universities, community colleges, high schools and elementary schools to tutor each other and receive credit for their work.

Jerome Bender, a Board of Regents member from Rockford, is representing the Regents on the committee. He said the “thrust of the proposal is primarily for Chicago and involves the whole educational system.” Bender refused any further comment saying the situation was too complex.

Rep. John Countryman, R-DeKalb, also is a member of the committee.

The hearing will provide an opportunity to give ideas how to strengthen existing partnerships while establishing new ones.

The hearing is open to the public and tentatively scheduled to be held in the Holmes Student Center Heritage Room. Questions may be directed to Caveny, House Democratic staff, (217)782-8794 or Mike Monaghan, Senate Democratic staff, (217)782-5664.

The hearing is the fourth conducted by the committee during the 1987-88 academic year. Other hearings were held at the University of Illinois-Chicago, State of Illinois Center and Truman Community College—all located in Chicago.