Posse Foundation

Posse Foundation. The Posse Foundation is a nationally recognized nonprofit organization and scholarship program that identifies, recruits, and trains diverse cohorts of student leaders from urban public high schools and sends them to top colleges and universities in supportive, multicultural teams called "posses." Founded in 1989, its innovative model addresses the challenges of student retention and campus climate by emphasizing cohort support, pre-collegiate training, and intensive mentoring. The foundation partners with a selective group of institutions to provide these students with full-tuition leadership scholarships, aiming to increase graduation rates and develop the next generation of leaders who reflect the country's rich diversity.

History and founding

The organization was founded in 1989 by Deborah Bial after a conversation with a student who said he would not have dropped out of college if he had his "posse" with him. This insight led Bial to develop the core idea that students from diverse backgrounds could excel if they were supported by a built-in team. The first official Posse was sent to Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1992, marking the formal launch of the scholarship program. The foundation's early growth was supported by grants from major philanthropies, including the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and it gained significant national attention when it received a prestigious MacArthur "Genius" Grant in 2007. Its headquarters are located in New York City, with additional offices in several major metropolitan areas across the United States.

Program model and selection process

The foundation's model begins with a unique, dynamic assessment process conducted in high schools across its participating cities, which include Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, and the San Francisco Bay Area. This process, known as the Dynamic Assessment Process, evaluates candidates for leadership, teamwork, and academic potential through group and individual activities rather than relying solely on standardized test scores. Selected students, known as Posse Scholars, then participate in an eight-month pre-collegiate training program that focuses on academic excellence, cross-cultural communication, and team-building. Once on campus, the posse meets weekly with a dedicated mentor, often a faculty member from the University of California, Berkeley or a similar institution, and engages in campus-wide workshops to support their persistence and success.

Partner colleges and universities

The foundation maintains partnerships with a consortium of highly selective liberal arts colleges and research universities that commit to funding full-tuition leadership scholarships for each Posse. Initial partners included Vanderbilt University and University of Wisconsin–Madison. The consortium has since expanded to include a wide array of prestigious institutions such as Brandeis University, Bucknell University, Carleton College, Dartmouth College, Davidson College, Franklin & Marshall College, Middlebury College, Pomona College, Smith College, Syracuse University, Texas A&M University, University of Michigan, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Wheaton College (Massachusetts). Each partner institution typically supports Posses from specific geographic cities, creating a national network of scholars and alumni.

Impact and outcomes

Independent studies and the foundation's own data indicate that Posse Scholars graduate at a rate of over 90 percent, significantly higher than the national average for all college students and particularly for students from similar demographic backgrounds. Alumni of the program have gone on to prominent roles in fields such as public policy, STEM fields, education, and the arts, contributing to a more diverse leadership pipeline in the United States. The program's success has influenced broader conversations about college admissions, diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, and alternative metrics for student potential within higher education at institutions like the University of Chicago and University of Pennsylvania.

Awards and recognition

The Posse Foundation and its founder have received numerous accolades for innovation in education and access. Most notably, Deborah Bial was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship in 2007 for creating and developing the Posse model. The foundation has also been recognized by the Clinton Global Initiative and received the 2010 Savvy Award for nonprofit excellence. Its work has been featured in major media outlets including The New York Times, CNN, and The Chronicle of Higher Education, cementing its reputation as a transformative force in American higher education.

Category:Educational organizations based in the United States Category:College and university associations and consortia in the United States Category:Scholarships in the United States Category:Organizations established in 1989