FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   DATE:  April 26, 2006        CONTACT: Dr. Susan Wolff Murphy, Co-Director of the First Year Program, (361) 825-2640; Melissa Goonan, Public Affairs, (361) 825-2337 *******************************PHOTO/MEDIA OPPORTUNITY*****************************   WHO:           1,110 freshmen students participating in the First-Year Learning Communities Program WHAT:          First-Year Celebration           WHEN:         Thursday, April 27 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. WHERE:       University Center, Lone Star Ballroom   A&M-Corpus Christi Freshmen Students Showcase Presentations During the First-Year Celebration   Students in Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi’s First-Year Learning Communities Program (FYLCP) will showcase their freshman research projects during the University’s “First-Year Celebration” on Thursday, April 27 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the University Center, Lone Star Ballroom. The “First-Year Celebration,” gives students in the program an opportunity to take their writing public and present their projects in visual, multimedia and other creative formats. This spring, students have explored the First Amendment rights of freedom of the press, freedom of petition and freedom of assembly. In the past, students have focused on issues such as political activism drug abuse, child abuse, diabetes prevention, the environment and an array of other social problems. The FYLCP, formed in 1994 to address the freshman retention rate, has been highly successful in helping students make a smooth academic and social transition from high school to the University. This spring 1,110 students participated in the program where students and teachers form a learning community.