READING, Pa. — Penn State Berks will receive a $25,000 check from Customers Bank in support of the college’s Homework Hotline at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 12, in the Gaige Technology and Business Innovation Building lobby. The gift will be used to sponsor the free math tutoring program for the 2018–19 academic year, and to fund marketing, publicity and outreach efforts to students, parents and educators in Berks County school districts.
Customers Bank is the region’s leading community bank with operations in Pennsylvania, D.C., Illinois, New York, New Jersey and New England.
The college will launch the 2018-19 Penn State Berks Homework Hotline on Sept. 24. Penn State Berks was the first Penn State campus to launch a pilot Homework Hotline program in the spring semester of 2016 as an internal program. In 2017, the program was rolled out to a few Berks County school districts. This year, the Homework Hotline will be available to 36 participating Berks County school districts.
Modeled on the Rose-Hulman Homework Hotline, the Penn State Berks Homework Hotline provides free tutoring sessions for local middle and high school students, grades six to 12, by telephone evenings from 6–9 p.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday throughout the school year. Students should call 610-396-6767 to speak with a tutor.
Penn State Berks students with excellent math skills serve as tutors and are available to assist with general math, algebra, geometry, trigonometry, pre-calculus, calculus and statistics. Tutors guide students through the process of solving the problem, so that the students learn how to complete similar problems on their own. While tutors do not provide the answers, they help to clarify where students are having difficulty and steer them toward reaching the correct solution.
An evening supervisor for the Homework Hotline oversees the tutors and is present during all the calls. In addition, tutors are also enrolled in a course to continually develop and improve their skillset.
With Customers Bank’s support, Penn State Berks offers this youth outreach initiative, with the goal of helping students in the region to succeed and compete in the global economy. The pilot program was sponsored by Carpenter Technology Corporation. The Penn State Berks Homework Hotline is offered in partnership with Penn State New Kensington and Penn State Schuylkill campuses.
“Engaging students early in math, as well as in other STEM subjects — science, technology, and engineering — prepares them for lifelong success, both academically and professionally,” said Richard Ehst, president and chief operating officer, Customers Bank. “Education and community service are two of Customers Bank’s top priorities, and we are proud to support Penn State Berks’ mission of helping our local students succeed.”
For more information on the Penn State Homework Hotline, contact Sonia Delaquito, coordinator of the Penn State Berks Learning Center, at 610-396-6138 or scd14@psu.edu.
This gift will advance "A Greater Penn State for 21st Century Excellence," a focused campaign that seeks to elevate Penn State’s position as a leading public university in a world defined by rapid change and global connections. With the support of alumni and friends, “A Greater Penn State” seeks to fulfill the three key imperatives of a 21st-century public university: keeping the doors to higher education open to hardworking students regardless of financial well-being; creating transformative experiences that go beyond the classroom; and impacting the world by fueling discovery, innovation and entrepreneurship. To learn more about “A Greater Penn State for 21st Century Excellence,” visit greaterpennstate.psu.edu.
About the Rose-Hulman Institute Homework Hotline
Founded in 1874, Rose-Hulman prepares students for careers in engineering, science and mathematics. The Penn State campuses have partnered with the institute to replicate aspects of its mathematics and sciences tutoring service. Rose-Hulman’s Homework Hotline has helped more than 500,000 Indiana students since 1991 through tutoring via toll-free phone calls, emails and online resources.
About Customers Bank
Customers Bancorp, Inc. is a bank holding company located in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania, engaged in banking and related businesses through its bank subsidiary, Customers Bank, a community-based, full-service bank, is an equal opportunity lender that provides a range of banking services to small and medium-sized businesses, professionals, individuals and families through offices in Pennsylvania, District of Columbia, Illinois, New York, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and New Jersey. Additional information can be found on the company's website, www.customersbank.com.