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Act Six targets promising inner city students
October 04, 2007
Seeing new faces around campus each fall is a given, but next year those new faces will include a unique group of at least six students who come to campus with their full tuition paid.
The students will be part of a new program at PLU called the Act Six Leadership and Scholarship Initiative. It seeks to identify promising urban student leaders and provide them with the opportunity to earn a four-year degree. Currently, PLU and Whitworth University in Spokane are the only Northwest schools participating in the program.
Admission counselor Bobby Walston (pictured) is an Act Six graduate. Last spring, he was part of the first cadre to graduate under the program at Whitworth, and now he is recruiting the first crew of students to attend PLU under the program.
“Act Six wants kids that really embrace the experience of the urban inner city,” Walston said. “They need to show that they are involved, value cross-cultural experiences and want to live a life of service.”
Act Six is an initiative of the Northwest Leadership Foundation (northwestleadership.org) based in Tacoma. Former Lincoln High School math teacher Tim Herron started the program in Tacoma when he noticed that many students from his high school would leave for college but quickly drop out. The program is designed not only to recruit and assist promising students from urban environments, but it has also created a nine-month training program that helps ensure they find success in school.
PLU joins Whitworth in partnering with the NFL to select students from urban Tacoma and Seattle. In addition, the NLF has helped launch two other Act Six programs in the United States: Central Portland Young Life and George Fox University in Newberg, Ore., and Memphis Leadership Foundation and Crichton College in Memphis, Tenn.
Potential Act Six scholars apply both to the foundation and to PLU. Once Act Six cuts the final applicants down to 40, then interviews, applications and on-site essays take place on both the Whitworth and PLU campuses. Faculty and admission counselor interviews also take place. All told, at least 6 scholars will be selected to attend PLU and up to 10 to Whitworth.
Five groups of students have already participated in the Tacoma initiative at Whitworth. Of the 51 participants, 35 percent are African-American, 27 percent are Asian/Pacific Islander, 10 percent are Hispanic, 6 percent are Caucasian and 22 percent are mixed heritage. Additionally, 61 percent are female and 71 percent are first-generation college students.
What really brings them together, according to Walston, is their dedication to their communities and their willingness to be servant-leaders when they return to it.
“They exemplify what it means to love their communities,” Walston said.
Before entering PLU, the Act Six scholars selected to attend will meet once a week to discuss books such as Beverly Daniel Tatum’s “Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?” and participate in other college readiness training, such as how to manage their time and money.
“Much of it is group bonding,” Walston explained.
Whatever it is, it works. The program has a 92 percent retention rate.
University Communications staff writer Steve Hansen compiled this report. Comments, questions, ideas? Please contact him at ext. 8410 or at hansense@plu.edu.
Admission counselor Bobby Walston (pictured) is an Act Six graduate. Last spring, he was part of the first cadre to graduate under the program at Whitworth, and now he is recruiting the first crew of students to attend PLU under the program.
“Act Six wants kids that really embrace the experience of the urban inner city,” Walston said. “They need to show that they are involved, value cross-cultural experiences and want to live a life of service.”
Act Six is an initiative of the Northwest Leadership Foundation (northwestleadership.org) based in Tacoma. Former Lincoln High School math teacher Tim Herron started the program in Tacoma when he noticed that many students from his high school would leave for college but quickly drop out. The program is designed not only to recruit and assist promising students from urban environments, but it has also created a nine-month training program that helps ensure they find success in school.
PLU joins Whitworth in partnering with the NFL to select students from urban Tacoma and Seattle. In addition, the NLF has helped launch two other Act Six programs in the United States: Central Portland Young Life and George Fox University in Newberg, Ore., and Memphis Leadership Foundation and Crichton College in Memphis, Tenn.
Potential Act Six scholars apply both to the foundation and to PLU. Once Act Six cuts the final applicants down to 40, then interviews, applications and on-site essays take place on both the Whitworth and PLU campuses. Faculty and admission counselor interviews also take place. All told, at least 6 scholars will be selected to attend PLU and up to 10 to Whitworth.
Five groups of students have already participated in the Tacoma initiative at Whitworth. Of the 51 participants, 35 percent are African-American, 27 percent are Asian/Pacific Islander, 10 percent are Hispanic, 6 percent are Caucasian and 22 percent are mixed heritage. Additionally, 61 percent are female and 71 percent are first-generation college students.
What really brings them together, according to Walston, is their dedication to their communities and their willingness to be servant-leaders when they return to it.
“They exemplify what it means to love their communities,” Walston said.
Before entering PLU, the Act Six scholars selected to attend will meet once a week to discuss books such as Beverly Daniel Tatum’s “Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?” and participate in other college readiness training, such as how to manage their time and money.
“Much of it is group bonding,” Walston explained.
Whatever it is, it works. The program has a 92 percent retention rate.
University Communications staff writer Steve Hansen compiled this report. Comments, questions, ideas? Please contact him at ext. 8410 or at hansense@plu.edu.