Centre News

The 2011 College Access and Opportunity Guide says that Centre
is known for its remarkable professors, beautiful Greek Revival
campus and outstanding alumni.

One of the seven Centre programs the book highlights is the
Bonner Scholars Program, which offers up to 10 scholarships each
year to students who demonstrate both financial need and
outstanding commitment to community service. Above, Bonner
Scholars complete a service project in West Virginia.

In the 2011 edition of the College Access and Opportunity Guide, Centre College is recognized for offering students unique research programs, engaging service opportunities, leadership scholarships and much more. Published by the Center for Student Opportunity, the guidebook highlights seven aspects of Centre that distinguish the College as a school of “access and opportunity.”

Before describing each of the seven points, the book says that Centre is known for its outstanding professors, beautiful Greek Revival campus and remarkable alumni. By attracting and nurturing highly motivated students, the description continues, Centre has produced two-thirds of Kentucky’s Rhodes Scholars in the past 50 years. (The College’s most recent winner actually pushes the proportion of Kentucky’s Rhodes Scholars to more than 70 percent in the last half century.)

The guide also makes note of the Centre Commitment, which guarantees students who meet the College’s academic and social expectations an internship, study abroad experience and graduation in four years. (If a student meets Centre’s academic and social expectations and is unable to secure the components of the Centre Commitment within four consecutive years of enrollment, the College will provide up to an additional year of study tuition-free.)

The first Centre program the College Access and Opportunity Guide applauds is the Centro Latino and Spanish Program. Centro Latino serves the local Latino community with translation help and through social and educational programs; Centre students spend time volunteering with the program. “Spanish students also provide tutoring, after-school programs and reading camps for the Latino community,” the book says.

The Whitney M. Young Scholars Program is another Centre offering highlighted. These scholars spend two weeks on campus each summer “through a Louisville-based program that identifies talented, low-income, predominately African-American students in seventh grade and works with them through high school to prepare for college.”

Next on the list is the Posse Foundation’s program at Centre. The program brings “talented inner-city youth to campus to pursue their academics and to help promote cross-cultural communication,” the guide says.

The New Horizons Scholarship program is also highlighted. These scholarships are offered to talented students who are likely to provide campus diversity leadership.

Another scholarship program at Centre mentioned in the guidebook is the Bonner Scholar program. “This Centre scholarship provides access to higher education for students from underrepresented populations who demonstrate financial need and an ability to have a strong positive impact on the campus and the surrounding community through their service work,” the book says.

The Pre-Freshman Research Program is another unique program that Centre offers its students. It offers students who will be attending Centre the chance to conduct science research before arriving on campus for their first year. The program is open to incoming first-year African-American, Hispanic, Native American and Asian and Pacific Islander students.

The final Centre offering the book highlights is the Academic Affairs Diversity Office. “Centre College strives for a campus community that reflects global society’s racial and ethnic diversity,” the guide says. “The Academic Affairs Diversity Office recruits and retains diverse faculty, staff and students and also promotes campus diversity by working with the Diversity Student Union, Admission Office, Student Life Office and Human Resources.”