Expanding Horizons, Expanding Opportunities
St. Olaf sponsors a number of programs that seek to enhance educational opportunities for low-income and traditionally underrepresented student groups.
Precollegiate Programs
- Upward Bound helps young students prepare for higher education. Participants receive instruction in literature, composition, mathematics and science on college campuses after school, on Saturdays and during the summer.
- Educational Talent Search (ETS) serves young people in grades six through 12. In addition to counseling, this early intervention program’s participants receive information about college admissions requirements, scholarships and various student financial aid programs.
Academic and Career Support
- Student Support Services (SSS) is a student retention program sponsored by St. Olaf College with substantial support from the U.S. Department of Education, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and the Hearst Endowment. The program is designed to help ensure academic success for St. Olaf students who meet federal eligibility guidelines and are committed to enhancing their academic experience at the college level. SSS begins for select first-year St. Olaf students with the intensive college preparation Summer Bridge Program.
- The Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program is a federally funded national program that encourages low-income, first-generation and underrepresented students to pursue doctoral study and consider careers in higher education. McNair Scholars participate in career-oriented internships and are paired with faculty mentors who share research interests.
- The Posse Foundation is a college access and youth leadership development program that partners with 48 of the most selective colleges and universities in the country. The college’s collaboration with Posse began with the 10 Posse students admitted to the Class of 2018. Over the course of their undergraduate careers, these students will continue to meet with each other and their chosen faculty mentors while simultaneously serving as leaders for multicultural understanding and awareness within the St. Olaf community.
- Research Opportunities for Sophomores in Science is open to all SSS-eligible students. Meeting five days a week, the students build skills to succeed in the sciences by reading graphs, interpreting data, and researching hypotheses based on their own interests. Read more in this news story.
- The Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation/North Star Alliance is a group of Minnesota schools that hopes to double the number of baccalaureate degrees earned by groups that are historically underrepresented in the STEM fields.
Cultural Programming
- The Center for Multicultural and International Engagement provides resources and co-curricular support for domestic multicultural and international students, and works with and within the community to engage, educate, and enrich campus life for all students.