News and Events
01/18/2007
Washington State-Wide Summit Seeks to Expand Act Six Impact
More than 50 college and community leaders from around Washington state gathered at Whitworth College January 18 to explore expansion of the program across the state.
Through a partnership with the Northwest Leadership Foundation, 41 mostly low-income under-represented students from inner-city Tacoma have enrolled at Whitworth over the past four years; 40 students remain and every member of the first cadre is preparing to graduate this May. Act Six affiliates have been launched at George Fox University outside Portland, Ore., and at Crichton College in Memphis, Tenn., and others are in planning stages. But officials from 13 colleges and universities and more than a dozen businesses, foundations and non-profit organizations attended the summit – 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Whitworth’s Hixson Union Building – to study ways to expand the program in Washington.
“The Act Six program has brought to Whitworth an extraordinary group of students who have enriched our campus through their leadership and service even as we have taught and mentored them,” says Whitworth President Bill Robinson. “The program requires big investments, but it also delivers big rewards. So, it would be irresponsible and morally unacceptable if we didn’t explore ways to expand Act Six to other schools.”
Act Six National Director and founder Tim Herron organized the summit in response to inquiries from other colleges and universities. The day began with an overview of Act Six’s innovative model for recruiting, training and supporting student scholars as well as a proposal for expanding the program through additional recruiting and training centers and new partnerships with independent four-year colleges and community colleges. The proposed expansion ultimately could add more than 100 new students a year, Herron says.
In addition, the summit included panel discussions with current Act Six scholars at Whitworth and with faculty and administrators who work closely with the program, a presentation on Act Six costs and funding options, and a discussion of next steps for possible expansion.
“The summit provided an excellent opportunity to introduce the Act Six model and participants to a larger group of people committed to educating students from diverse socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds,” Herron says. “We are excited by the potential of a state-wide collaborative effort that brings together faith-based universities, community colleges and urban ministries to empower students and create lasting change on our campuses and in our urban communities.”
Herron, formerly a math teacher in inner-city Tacoma, developed Act Six after seeing many of his most promising students fail to complete college. He modeled it on a similar program developed nearly 20 years ago by the Posse Foundation to train and send students in groups to elite colleges. Herron has placed particular emphasis on equipping Act Six scholars to be agents of change in college and in their home communities.
The first cadre of 10 Act Six scholars were selected in 2002 and completed a year of training and team-building before enrolling at Whitworth in the fall of 2003 where they meet regularly with one another and with faculty advisors. Followed now by three more cadres, the 41 Act Six scholars represent six continents and speak 13 native languages. More than 67 percent are first-generation college students and 79 percent are from low-income families. The program’s 97 percent retention rate and the anticipated 100 percent four-year graduation rate for the first cadre significantly exceed national averages.
Furthermore, Act Six scholars have greatly enriched Whitworth’s campus with their perspectives, involvement and leadership. Fa’ana Fanene of cadre one was elected president of the Associated Students of Whitworth College for the current academic year.
“Our scholars are having a profound impact through their leadership on campus, and many of those graduating this spring are planning to return to Tacoma to invest in their communities,” Herron says. “This is what we envisioned when we launched Act Six and what we hope can be replicated around the state.”
Participants
Administrators from the following faith-based colleges and universities, public community colleges, urban ministry affiliates, and other key partners attended the summit:
Gonzaga University
Heritage University
Northwest University
Pacific Lutheran University
Saint Martin's University
Seattle Pacific University
Seattle University
Trinity Lutheran College
Whitworth College
Green River Community College
South Seattle Community College
Spokane Falls Community College
Tacoma Community College
Northwest Leadership Foundation
Representatives from a potential Yakima Leadership Foundation
Representatives from a potential Spokane Leadership Foundation
College Success Foundation
College Spark Washington
Independent Colleges of Washington
Summit Handouts
© 2008 Act Six National Office at Northwest Leadership Foundation. All rights reserved.
Act Six is endorsed and supported by Leadership Foundations of America.