RELEASED: June 20, 2002

DANVILLE, KY-Centre College is hosting the Whitney M. Young Scholars Program Summer Institute 2002. From June 16-28 the college will be home to some of Kentucky's most academically talented minority students.

Participants in the program at Centre are rising 11th-graders from Jefferson County area schools. There are approximately 175 Whitney M. Young Scholars in grades 7-12 on area college campuses this summer. This is the first year that Centre has hosted the scholars.

"We hope the students see that Centre is a place were minorities can come and be a part of the campus, can be challenged academically and can graduate," said J.H. Atkins, assistant vice president and associate professor of education at Centre who oversees the school's office of diversity education. "Hosting this program helps Centre attract these exceptional students. We hope this is the start of an ongoing relationship between the Whitney M. Young Scholars and Centre College."

Classes are being taught in technology, humanities, mathematics, science, language arts, social studies and health and physical education.

"The students are in class six hours each day," Atkins said. "They're being exposed to classwork they'll be studying next year, so they're getting a good head start."

There are also several outside-the-classroom activities planned. Students will tour the historic Perryville Battlefield, see a glass-blowing demonstration by Centre professor and internationally known artist Stephen Powell, tour Shaker Village (including a boat ride), attend a speech by cross-Atlantic rower Tori Murden-McClure and watch a Lexington Legends minor league baseball game.

"It's educational but also exciting," Atkins said. "We like to think of this program as a mini-Governor's Scholars Program."

Final exams will be held June 27 and an awards luncheon will be held the next day.

For more information, contact Atkins at (859) 238-6223.

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