TODAY: County's top high school seniors to be honored at Cal State San Bernardino

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SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. - There are outstanding students at every high school in San Bernardino County. Most will graduate with honors and go on to college.

But only a relative handful rank among the top 1 percent in their respective high school classes. Those are the best of the best.

This elite group of nearly 300 high school students in San Bernardino County has been invited to join Cal State San Bernardino President Albert Karnig for a dinner in their honor at the university on Wednesday, Nov. 4. The 6 p.m. event takes place in Coussoulis Arena.

The event is the ninth annual President's Academic Excellence Scholarship dinner, in which CSUSB will salute the students' accomplishments and Karnig will invite them to attend the university in fall 2010. Accompanied by their parents at the dinner, these nearly 300 top seniors rep-resent 55 San Bernardino County high schools.

As a "top 1 percent student," each qualifies for the increasingly popular President's Academic Excellence Scholarship, which provides or assists in paying up to $5,000 to cover student fees and other expenses. And the scholarship is renewable up to four years if the student continues full-time and maintains a minimum 3.5 grade point average.

This fall, CSUSB welcomed 30 new college freshmen who accepted the President's Academic Excellence Scholarship, joining 90 returning president's scholars to bring the total number of these top students currently attending Cal State San Bernardino to 120.

"We're delighted to invite all of them to attend CSUSB - we'll make a place for them," Karnig said. "We realize they are students who could attend virtually any school they choose, but they're at CSUSB, which is an overwhelming testament to the quality of our academic programs, faculty, staff, student activities and the remarkably positive experiences that prior scholars have had on our campus."

Karnig says the scholarship not only rewards the students' exceptional academic achievements, but benefits Cal State San Bernardino as a whole by inspiring fellow students to raise their academic performance as well. In addition, there is a strong incentive for local students to stay close to home.

"College students are more likely to settle in the area where they go to school, and so the goal is to keep them here to someday be among the entrepreneurs and the social, cultural, political and business leaders of our local communities," he said.

Karnig will be joined by San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools Gary Thomas in saluting this year's top high school students. High school principals and counselors from throughout San Bernardino County are also expected to attend the event.

Since the program began in 2002, nearly 90 percent of the PAES recipients have either graduated (some in three years) or are still pursuing a CSUSB degree. As they advance through college and eventually graduate, most of the PAES scholars will become part of a highly educated workforce. The U.S. Census Bureau has documented that a person with a bachelor's degree will earn nearly twice as much over a lifetime as a high school graduate ($2.1 million vs. $1.2 million).

Cal State San Bernardino alumni earnings supply more than $635 million to the state economy and the university supports more than 10,000 local jobs. CSUSB contributes more than $500 million in expenditures to California's economy each year, while generating more than $28 million in state taxes. For every $1 the state invests in Cal State San Bernardino, university-related expenditures generate nearly $5 in additional spending.

For additional information, contact the CSUSB admissions and student recruitment office at (909) 537-5188 or the university's Office of Public Affairs at (909) 537-5007 and visit news.csusb.edu.

The top 1 percent of San Bernardino County's high school students will join CSUSB President Albert Karnig for a dinner in their honor at the university on Wednesday, Nov. 4.