University of the West recently hosted two events that further strengthened its growing bond with Montebello Unified School District.

On Thursday, Jan. 20, 2011, UWest hosted about 100 executive-level staff from the school district for a daylong guest speaker event. On the same day, UWest hosted 35 teachers from the district's AVID program, which reaches out to middle rung students who are also at risk.

University of the West is currently developing an outreach program targeting MUSD students, many of whom live in neighborhoods direclty south of the campus. UWest is making instant scholarships available to qualified students from Schurr High School while also working to provide meditation services to students in the district. Several other programs are in the early development stage.

"MUSD teachers and leadership are referring students to UWest as an option for a college education that they may not have considered before," said Jason Kosareff, a UWest enrollment counselor. "It will take some time, but we believe that in the near future regular cohorts of students from MUSD will be the norm at UWest."

MUSD leadership will hold its spring retreat on the UWest campus on Feb. 16, 2011. A dozen other events that will tie UWest and MUSD together are also planned for 2011.