College Students Find Support in Campus 'Posses': Posse founder Deborah Bial started the organization in 1989 after a once-promising inner-city student told her, 'I never would have dropped out of college if I had my posse with me.'
Since then, Posse has sent more than 2,600 students to its partner campuses, including Vanderbilt University, Colby College and the University of California at Berkeley.
The program targets students in disadvantaged urban districts who have strong leadership skills but may lack the guidance to wade into what can be an intimidating college admissions process. Posse is not need- or minority-based, though many students fit both categories.
The demand for such help is dramatic, Bial said. Posse, which had been recruiting from six major cities, added Miami as its seventh this fall. The program received more than 12,000 nominations this year for 460 slots nationwide, Bial said.
Posse provides academic support and help with college applications, but admission decisions are made by individual schools, which offer full merit scholarships. A University of Missouri study presented last week links merit aid to increased freshman year grade-point averages, particularly for minority and low-income students.
