The Center for Black Culture and Research will welcome 14 incoming African American freshmen to campus on Sunday (June 23) during an opening ceremony at the Erickson Alumni Center. The five-week Students Achieving and Reaching Success program will immerse the students in social and academic activities designed to help foster cultural adjustment and build a solid academic foundation. The program’s culturally enriching environments have increased persistence and degree completion for more than 200 students since its inception in 2008.
Students will begin each day with a unity circle exercise followed by a credit-bearing course, a one-hour workshop and study tables. In the evening, students participate in activities designed by former STARS students who serve as mentors.
The group will also participate in the ropes course facilitated by Adventure WV at the WVU Outdoor Learning Center in Bruceton Mills, explore Blackwater Falls State Park in Davis, perform community service at the Shack Neighborhood House in Pursglove and visit the National African American Museum of History and Culture and Six Flags America theme park in Washington, D.C.
“The WVU STARS Program is one of two in the United States, and its impact on our students over the past decade has been incredible. Our STARS are engaged in almost every area of leadership and service available on our campus, and they often remain at WVU to pursue advanced degrees once they graduate," said Marjorie Fuller, director of WVU Center for Black Culture and Research. "I am always impressed by our new students’ willingness to cut their summer breaks an entire month short so that they may become better acclimated to campus and life at WVU.”