University Scholarship Program II: YEAR TWO QUARTER FOUR REPORT

The program's main objective is to provide young students from disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds in the 26 districts of Lebanon with access to high-quality college education. The scholarship includes full coverage of tuition fees, housing, books, a laptop, and stipends for up to five years. During the summer 2013 semester, 13 USP engineering scholars took courses, and the Associate Director met with them twice to monitor their academic progress. Two students scored a GPA of 93 and 92, respectively, while two other scholars scored a GPA of 65 and 61. The remaining students had a GPA ranging from 85 to 70. The 22 USP students who were placed in UPP for one year during Fall 2012-2013 attended the AUB orientation for new students on August 23, 2013, and registered for the Fall 2013-2014 semester. The 50 USP II scholars took the Collegiate Assessment of Academic Proficiency (CAAP) test on September 2, 2013, and the results were expected to be released in October. The first day of classes was September 4, 2013, and all scholars were settled in their dorms, received their book allowances, and stipends during the first week of class. After drop and add, all USP II scholars had their schedules finalized and filed in their academic files. No probation cases were reported during this quarter, and only two students scored a GPA below 70. The 22 USP II scholars who were UPP registered as regular students for Fall 2013-2014, and 10 USP II scholars registered for the required PSPA course (PSPA 222). Throughout the fourth quarter, the Center for Civic Engagement and Community Service (CCECS) enabled the USP students to articulate their ideas on their respective Community-Based Project (CBP). The CCECS also offered the scholars numerous volunteering opportunities alongside two dominant UN organizations, the UNRWA and the UNIFIL. Some USP students were engaged in the yearly "Civil Engineering Society Summer Volunteering Camp," which enabled them to implement their expertise in community development projects in several villages and towns in the South region. The CCECS organized two meetings for the USP II students on July 5, 2013, and September 27, 2013, to introduce the students to the new CCECS staff on USP and assist them on their next steps towards preparing for their community-based projects (CBP) proposals. The meetings' objectives were to enable the USP students to determine their final teams and preliminary concept notes for their CBP, provide the students with an overview of the entire CBP process, and highlight certain restrictions and limitations related to CBP feasibility and implementation set by USAID guidelines. Mercy Corps attended the group meeting organized by the CCECS in July 2013 to mentor the students and help them develop their ideas and proposals. Mercy Corps also attended a meeting at AUB on September 24, 2013, to discuss the role of Mercy Corps in the community-based projects. It was agreed that Mercy Corps would act as a mentor for the students while they are developing their project proposals and implementing the projects. The CCECS, along with Mercy Corps, will be organizing numerous meetings with the USP II students in the upcoming quarter to inform them about their responsibilities for the upcoming year. The meetings will cover matters related to feasibility and implementation of CBP, community internships placement, and ongoing volunteering opportunities. Upcoming deadlines include a meeting with the Project Committee to discuss feasibility of projects suggested by USP students on October 7, 2013, project proposal presentations by students on October 12, 2013, and a deadline for submitting the full CBP proposal on November 12, 2013.