NEWBERRY — The Newberry College Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences received a grant from the Grant-McDonald Foundation to fund a summer program for rising high school seniors on the college campus.

The program, which ran from July 7 through July 21, was centered around a two-hour, college-like seminar each morning, focusing on the writers and ideas of history, from Plato to Flannery O’Connor, from the Peloponnesian Wars to the Civil Rights Movement.

After lunch on campus, students worked on writing skills and projects, heard from guest lecturers, and did research in the library.

Dr. Naomi Simmons, assistant professor of sociology, and Dr. Joe McDonald, Professor Emeritus at Newberry College, coordinated the program.

According to McDonald, the aim was to show the students the excitement and value of joining in discussions of important writers and issues.

“We especially recruited students who have the ability to do college work but may have thought they weren’t ready or financially able. We wanted to light a fire under them so they would think ‘Yes, I want to do this and I can do this.’ I think that is exactly what we did,” he said.

The program was free. Each student received four books of essays, short stories, and speeches by important writers in history.

Simmons selected texts to read and prepared the syllabus for the program, which was called Bridge to Big Ideas.

“We wanted the students to get an idea of what college life and learning is all about, the experience of being on a college campus, developing critical thinking skills through challenging texts, expanding interpersonal skills through interactions with college professors, community leaders, and student mentors, and most of all developing a sense of confidence that will allow them to be successful in any and all educational or career paths they might follow,” she said.

McDonald said the idea for the program came from a long-running program at Columbia University in New York. Some of their best professors started the program and they vouch for its impact on the students and the professors.

“Like the Columbia program, our program focuses on nurturing the students’ desire and confidence to engage in sophisticated thinking and discussion of big ideas through the selected readings,” McDonald said. “The expectation is that this desire and confidence will be the stimulus for them to attend college. They will understand the significance of joining these conversations as preparation for becoming active citizens.”

Two Newberry College students were mentors for the seminar and worked with the high school students on reading the texts and completing writing assignments. The mentors will maintain contact with these students over the school year to encourage them to pursue college. Simmons believes the mentors were especially helpful for the program and the high school students.

“These students know what it’s like to be the first in their families to attend college, they know what it’s like to struggle your first semester, and most importantly they know how to access campus resources, speak professionally with professors, and have developed the kind of work and study habits that have allowed them to maintain a high level of success,” Simmons said. “Ultimately, we wanted to be able to give these students a real glimpse into the everyday college experience. We wanted them to feel comfortable on a college campus and feel confident in their ability to succeed.”

Judging by the reactions of this summer’s students, the program was a success. One student talked about how exciting the experience was and the thrill of being on a college campus.

“We used college classrooms and worked in the library and had meals on campus. We felt like real college students,” one student said.

Another student said she would recommend the program to rising seniors next summer.

“They will find out a lot about themselves and about what college is like. I’m much more interested in applying to college now and I’m more confident that I can do the work. Dr. Simmons really helped us to recognize our potential and make learning fun,” the student said.

McDonald and Simmons said they hope the program becomes permanent and that, in a year or two, it will be a residential program where the students stay in dorms over the two-week seminar, giving them a total immersion in the college setting.

Staff Report