The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill will host approximately 250 middle school male students (grades six through eighth) from ethnically and culturally-diverse backgrounds for a one-day visit on Friday, Oct. 30.
During the daylong program–which runs from 8:30 a.m. to 2:15 p.m.–the middle schoolers will learn about college life and have a first-hand opportunity to preview what it is like to be a Tar Heel.
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The program, now in its second year, introduces the students to what college life entails, with the goal of inspiring their desire to attend college. During Tar Heel Preview Day, an initiative sponsored by Carolina’s Diversity and Multicultural Affairs office and its Carolina Millennial Scholars Program, or CMSP, the visiting middle school students will hear from Carolina students, participate in an innovative academic session with faculty and staff, and have the opportunity to ask questions about college and Carolina.
“Just like the CMSP helps minority male students at Carolina succeed, we want to inspire these middle school students to think about college and introduce them to our Carolina community,†said Marco Barker, UNC-Chapel Hill, senior director for education, operations and initiatives, and director of the CMSP. “This year we have doubled the size of this outreach program. We have five counties and 16 groups represented, mostly coming from Orange and Durham counties, but also extending to Sampson and Robeson counties. We want to lead our state in empowering diverse, middle-school males by providing them with the information they need to plan for life during and after high school.â€
After a hands-on academic session, the middle-schoolers will have lunch while enjoying a Carolina-student cultural show and have the opportunity to ask current UNC-Chapel Hill students about life in college. A representative from the undergraduate admissions office will be on hand to field questions.
“We understand that some of the participants would be first-generation college students,†said Taffye Benson Clayton, associate vice chancellor for diversity and multicultural affairs and chief diversity officer. “This means it is very important to demonstrate the connection between what the students are doing in middle school and what it takes to become college ready. We want to make a difference by inspiring as many of these students as we can to pursue higher education goals.â€
Co-sponsors of Tar Heel Preview Day include the Carolina Parents Council Grant Program and UNC-Chapel Hill Finance and Administration. Campus partners include the Institute for the Arts and Humanities Beats Lab Project, School of Media and Journalism, Morehead Planetarium and Science Center, Minority Postdoc Association, Carolina Higher Education Opportunity Programs, and the Office of Undergraduate Admissions.