Posted August 07, 2009
Posse Press
Mount Holyoke, University of Pennsylvania (Penn), and University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) have partnered with The Posse Foundation. Penn and Mount Holyoke will recruit students from Posse’s newest program site in Miami, while UCLA will take students from Los Angeles.
Existing partner Bucknell University has also signed on with the Los Angeles chapter. Bucknell, which already recruits from Boston and D.C., has become Posse’s second tri-city school, joining the University of Wisconsin-Madison in recruiting 30 Scholars each year.
“These universities are doing something remarkable,” says Posse President and Founder Deborah Bial. “They’re helping to redefine merit in higher education and, by example, demonstrating alternative ways of achieving equity while maintaining the highest standards. That takes extraordinary vision and leadership.”
Penn is the first Ivy League institution to join Posse’s roster of leading colleges and universities.
“Our partnership with The Posse Foundation,” says Penn President Amy Gutmann, “advances our goal of making Penn more accessible to exceptional students who otherwise could not afford an Ivy League education. More and more evidence indicates that excellence and diversity go hand in hand, and I am confident that Posse Miami Scholars will contribute their talents, leadership and passion to make our great University ever better, just as Penn will transform their lives for the better.”
With UC Berkeley signing on in 2008, UCLA is now the second institution within the University of California system to participate in the Posse Program.
“There is so much overlap between the mission and values of The Posse Foundation and those of UCLA,” says UCLA Chancellor Gene Block. “Making sure that qualified students from diverse backgrounds have the opportunity to pursue a first-rate education is a priority for us. Our partnership with Posse is a natural fit.”
Bucknell and Mount Holyoke are the first partner schools to recruit Scholars to participate in Posse’s new Civic Engagement Program, designed to prepare students to effectively engage social justice issues. Scholars will be selected based on their demonstrated commitment to activism and to building community in their neighborhoods. Throughout their pre-collegiate training and every summer during college, each member of the Posse will intern at an organization that addresses social justice issues.
“We are looking forward to selecting our first cohort of Scholars,” says Jane Brown, Mount Holyoke’s vice president for enrollment and college relations. “The range of traits that Posse screens for—such as leadership, resourcefulness, the ability to work well in a team and creative problem solving—are qualities that we value at Mount Holyoke and believe are key to a successful college experience.”