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Durham Scholars Program

The Durham Scholars Program (DSP), based in the Kenan-Flager Business School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, was launched in 1995 with a $3.6 million grant from the William Rand Kenan, Jr. Charitable Trust.

At its conception, DSP was comprised of two components: a college outreach and retention program for eleventh and twelvth graders and a college preparatory academy for sixth graders.

THE COLLEGE OUTREACH AND RETENTION PROGRAM was designed to have an immediate impact on college attendance and matriculation rates of at-risk minority youth in Northeast Central Durham. Starting with the 1996-1997 academic school year and continuing through the year 2001, up to eight (8) need-based scholarships (not to exceed $10,000 annually) were awarded on a competitive basis to disadvantaged youth from Northeast Central Durham who graduated from high school and who qualified for admission to any Durham-area college, university, or other postsecondary educational/training institution. During their junior and senior years, those selected for program participants were provided with a range of academic and social supports aimed at improving their academic performance and fostering their college attendance. During the all of their senior year, program participants were required to formally apply for admission to institutions of higher learning. To date, there have been twenty-two students involved in this component, ten of whom have graduated from their respective universities/training programs.

THE COLLEGE PREPARATORY ACADEMY FOR SIXTH GRADERS is a long-term strategy for promoting college attendance and matriculation among Northeast Central Durham youth. DSP is designed to improve the academic performance and overall life chances of socially and economically distressed young people who live in the most concentrated poverty areas of Durham, North Carolina and who are under performing in the public schools. Now in its eighth year of operation, DSP seeks to build bridges for these students to the social, educational, and occupational mainstream of the new digital economy. Beginning at sixth grade and continuing through high school graduation, the young scholars selected for participation in this program will be (1) required to take a set of college preparatory classes designed to: develop or hone their communication skills (reading, writing and public speaking), their personal skills (problem solving, note taking, time management, decision making and critical thinking), and their technical skills (math, science and computer usage); (2) linked with a cadre of college level tutors who will assist them with both their normal school work and their college preparatory courses; and (3) afforded the opportunity to participate in a range of program-specific and community-based extra curricular activities, including field trips designed to broaden their intellectual and socio-cultural horizons. Those students who remain in the program until high school graduation and who are accepted to a Durham-area college or university will receive a scholarship of up to $10,000 over a four year period. There are currently thirty (30) students from the College Preparatory Academy who are now attending college.

An additional component of DSP is the Mentor Program, which is organized and operated by the MBA students in the Kenan-Flagler Business School. MBA students are paired with DSP participants of similar interests. Some of our students are also involved with Labarotories for Learning, in conjunction with the N.C. School of Science and Mathematics. Labs for Learning is a not-for-profit organization which focuses on biotechnology and its exposure to minority and socio-economically disadvantaged youth in our communities. (www.laboratoriesforlearning.org)

New initiatives this Fall include the implementation of a Reading Program based upon the Bluford Series, which is a series of ten novels which reflect some of the same challenges that face our students. Through this initiative, writing skills, public speaking and presentation skills, as well as vocabulary development are enhanced.

We have also implemented “Senior Connections”, which operates in partnership with the Senior Ministry of Union Baptist Church. DSP participants are partnered with senior citizens to engage in fellowship, structured activities and mutual sharing of gifts and talents.

Our “Dress for Success” initiative is implemented under the acronym P.E.A.R.L.S (Promoting Empowerment & Achievement (through) Realistic Learning Situations. Students are engaged in monthly workshops which deal with goal-setting, decision-making, interpersonal communication, team building and other skills which help facilitate their personal growth and development.

This program has been made possible through the generous contribution of the William R. Kenan, Jr. Charitable Trust.

For more information, please contact Dr. James H. Johnson, Jr. (919) 962-2261.