Elon University
IN-1: Innovation 1

As a member of the Alamance County community in North Carolina, Elon University decided to take a stance on improving the quality of education and life chances for the families and youth in the county. When Superior Court Judge Howard Manning threatened to close an underperforming school in Alamance County in 2006, President Leo M. Lambert found himself rethinking the role of Elon University in the local community. How could Elon, a thriving institution with tremendous resources, reconcile its place in a community where only seven miles away a high school struggled to survive? What could Elon, as an institution and as a society of individuals, do to address such a serious inequity? As a result of President Lambert’s thinking and his commitment to the broader community, Elon has taken major steps to increase its involvement in local schools and educational efforts. Building on existing programs for new and veteran teachers through the Office of School Outreach Programs in the School of Education, service learning projects and tutoring programs sponsored by the Kernodle Center for Service Learning and Community Engagement, the university has initiated new and ambitious programs that will increase Elon’s support of education in the local area. These efforts range from initiatives at Cummings High School to support its restructuring to a new and exciting endeavor, the Elon Academy. The mission of the Elon Academy is to inspire academically oriented students who are often underrepresented on college and university campuses to pursue higher education, build leadership skills and develop an active sense of social responsibility. The Elon Academy is founded on the belief that, with the proper support, there is a four-year college or university at which every talented young person can be successful regardless of financial status. The program focuses on Alamance County high school students who demonstrate academic promise in the face of economic adversity. Underrepresentation of low-income students at institutions of higher education may result from a variety of factors. There is a correlation between income and SAT performance, in which low-income youth are less likely to take the SAT and to meet the SAT requirements for entrance to many selective institutions. Furthermore, students from low socioeconomic backgrounds have less access to co-curricular, extracurricular and cultural activities, making them less competitive than their wealthier counterparts during the admissions process. Students from families with limited financial resources also often lack the social capital that will contribute to their success both in college and beyond. Low-income, first-generation college students and their families frequently do not have college literacy skills to negotiate college applications and financial aid options. These young people may not recognize their own potential and may be pessimistic concerning their chances for success. They frequently report that in their schools they do not receive the support and encouragement that is available to wealthier students. Additionally, students and their families with financial need are less likely than their more affluent counterparts to ask for help; they typically become invisible unless they are behaving in ways that are problematic. Admission to institutions of higher education is the first step, but this represents only part of the story. Over half of high school graduates who enter two-year or four-year colleges fail to complete a degree. Research on college completion rates for low-income, first-generation students is even more disturbing. According to The Pell Institute for the Study of Opportunity in Higher Education (2004), these students leave at higher rates than their wealthier peers. When family income is under $25,000 young people have less than a 6 % chance of earning a four-year college degree. This is the case even when students achieve the same high test scores as peers from higher socioeconomic groups. Three-fourths of high scoring upper-income students complete four-year degrees while their equally high scoring low-income peers complete degrees at a rate of 36 %. It is critical that the Elon Academy fulfill its responsibility to Academy scholars and families and uphold its mission by providing a comprehensive program beginning with admission to the Academy and extending through the second year of college. Elon Academy developed a four-phase model including the Elon Academy College Access Program (college access program), the Elon Academy Transitions to College Program (a summer program between high school and college), the Elon Academy College Success Program (a support program during college) and the Elon Academy Alumni Program (a program to bring graduates back to their high schools to mentor others). Program Goals The goals of the program include: 1. Increasing Aspirations: Increase awareness of possibilities for postsecondary education for students and families. 2. Providing Pathways: Provide support for students and families in navigating the college admissions process and in securing scholarships and grants. 3. Supporting Transitions to College: Prepare scholars and families for the financial, academic and social challenges in college. 4. Ensuring College Success: Support scholars and families during college as they face the inevitable financial, academic and social challenges encountered by low-income, first-generation students. 5. Expanding Impact: Provide a network of graduates who will return to their high school campuses to support and inspire others in pursuing the dream of a college education. Connect colleges and universities that are supportive of diverse students with Alamance County high school students. Attend state, regional and national conferences in order to remain on the forefront of current research and to present the Academy to others as a replicable model. Four-Phase Model Phase I: The Elon Academy College Access Program focuses on the first two goals: increasing aspirations and providing pathways. This will continue to be a three-year program that combines three intensive four-week residential experiences at Elon University in the summers prior to the 10th, 11th and 12th grades with a variety of academic and enrichment activities during the school year. Elon Academy faculty and staff work closely with students and families during this phase to find colleges and universities that are the right “fit” for each student. It is important to note that Elon Academy students are not expected or guaranteed to enroll at Elon University unless they feel it an appropriate match for them. Phase II: The Elon Academy Transitions to College Program focuses on the third goal: supporting transitions to college. The Transitions to College Program includes a college writing course (for transfer credit) with a writing support workshop, a three-day retreat and a one-day family program and celebration of scholar achievements. Phase III: The Elon Academy College Success Program focuses on the fourth goal: ensuring college success. Through the College Success Program, Elon Academy scholars and families are provided with academic, social and mentoring/advising support, as well as assistance in securing financial aid, to ensure that scholars complete a four-year degree at the college or university of their choice. This includes Elon Academy staff maintaining regular contact during at least the first two years of college, visiting campuses to help students access support systems on their respective campuses, providing emergency funds as needed and maintaining contact with families at home. Our goal in this program is that our scholars not simply “survive” in college. We want them also to have the opportunity to fully participate in the many rich experiences of college and to contribute to the intellectual and social climate of the university through their active campus citizenship. Phase IV: The Elon Academy Alumni Program focuses on the fourth and fifth goals: ensuring college success and expanding impact. This program provides Elon Academy graduates and their families with a network of support throughout their college years and beyond. In addition, it will bring Elon Academy alumni (college students and college graduates) back to the community to provide leadership in inspiring and supporting other students from their high schools who dream of a college education. This brings the Elon Academy full circle by bringing the Elon Academy “home” to hundreds of other deserving students in the community. The below statistics summarize the Elon Academy’s impact to date. 110 students and families served 39 students currently enrolled in college 6 public high schools represented and 1 public charter school 100% of the students have been accepted to at least one college/university 100% of the students have engaged in community service 95% college persistence rate 100% of students are in honors/AP courses