Lumina grants to help Purdue retain, graduate Twenty-first Century Scholars

"We want the more than 1,000 scholars enrolled at Purdue to succeed both inside and outside of the classroom," said Pam Horne, assistant vice president for enrollment management and dean of admissions at Purdue. "These three projects will help us to improve the manner in which we do that while they hold true to Purdue's mission of providing access to higher education for all Indiana residents."

The first grant will help coordinate support programming for the scholars once they enroll at Purdue. Shawna Lusk, senior associate director of student access transition and success programs, will connect students with mentors and encourage them to take advantage of Purdue programs, such as Learning Communities, Purdue Opportunity Awards Program, Day on Campus, Boiler Gold Rush, academic help labs, and other such programs offered by Purdue colleges and academic departments.

Drew Koch, Purdue director of student access, transition and success programs, said the university graduates 50 percent to 55 percent of all scholars in six years.

"This compares to a campus six-year graduation rate of nearly 72 percent," Koch said. "By having Shawna serve as a point person for our scholars, we hope to encourage more of these students to take advantage of the many initiatives we have in place so they can succeed and realize the benefits of getting a college degree."

The second grant funds the continuation of the Twenty-first Century Scholars Postsecondary Support Network. The network, established by Provost Sally Mason in 2004, brings as many as 150 representatives of Indiana colleges and universities together to share how they support the scholars enrolled at their institutions. Koch chairs this network along with Scott Evenbeck, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis University College Dean.

"The group meets twice a year to share best practices and swap ideas," Koch said. "We discuss the delivery and assessment of approaches for teaching and supporting students with a main focus of fostering greater success for Twenty-first Century Scholars."

The third grant funds research on the precollege and college success of Twenty-first Century Scholars. Donna Enersen, a lecturer in Purdue's Department of Curriculum and Instruction, and Heather Servaty-Seib, an assistant professor of educational studies, will conduct an assessment of support programming for scholars enrolled in junior high schools and high schools throughout Indiana.

Evenbeck will assess support for scholars enrolled at colleges and universities across the state. Edward St. John, the Algo D. Henderson Collegiate Professor of Education at the Center for the Study of Higher and Postsecondary Education at the University of Michigan, will lead the assessment of the long-term success of Twenty-first Century Scholars who enroll in college.

Martha Lamkin, Lumina Foundation president and CEO, said Lumina considers each grant an investment in Indiana's future.

"While the Twenty-first Century Scholars program has done great work to get Indiana high school students into college, these grants will help these campuses focus on how to increase the graduation rates for these scholars who face significant barriers to graduation," Lamkin said.

The Lumina Foundation also awarded grants ranging from $79,000 to $100,000 to eight other Indiana colleges and universities, including Calumet College of St. Joseph, Indiana State University, Indiana University, Indiana University South Bend, Indiana University Southeast, the University of Evansville, Ivy Tech Fort Wayne and Ivy Tech Region 1 that serves Gary, East Chicago, Michigan City and Valparaiso.

The Twenty-first Century Scholars Program offers college tuition assistance to qualified students in Indiana whose families are in low to moderate income brackets. To enroll in the program, eligible middle school students must apply by June 30 of their eighth-grade year. They also must meet income guidelines, apply for financial aid and take a pledge. The pledge includes staying drug-free, graduating high school with a GPA of at least 2.0 and being admitted to an eligible Indiana college, university or technical school.

Aside from tuition benefits, the program offers free summer camps and visits to colleges and universities throughout Indiana. Other college preparatory activities include tutoring, mentoring, community service projects and newsletters on planning for college.

The Lumina Foundation for Education is a private, independent foundation that strives to help people achieve their potential by expanding access and success in education beyond high school. For more information on the foundation go online.

Writer: Marydell Forbes, (765) 496-7704, mforbes@purdue.edu

Sources: Pam Horne, (765) 494-9116, pamhorne@purdue.edu

Drew Koch, (765) 496-3618, akkoch@purdue.edu

Diana Boyce, Lumina Foundation communications associate, (317) 951-5116, dboyce@luminafoundation.org

Scott Evenbeck, (317) 274-5032, evenbeck@iupui.edu

Shawna Lusk, (765) 494-2329, smlusk@purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

Related news release:
Lumina Foundation provides funding to increase graduation rates for Twenty-first Century Scholars

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