The Emerging Scholars Program has recently been relaunched following a hiatus that began during the fall semester of 2021. The newly-reinstated program held its first meeting on Monday, Jan. 30, where the professional staff reunited with returning participants and welcomed incoming members.
Emerging Scholars is an organization that aims to promote the academic success of African American students at Saint Xavier and provide them with resources from African American staff.
When asked about the relaunch of Emerging Scholars, Professional Staff Member Jacqueline Griffin said that her “heart was hurt” during the program’s absence, but thanks to SXU Chief Diversity Officer Natalie Page, the program was fortunately picked up again this semester.
Dr. Page worked diligently with the institutional research department and presented data that reflected a decline in GPA and attendance of African American students during the Emerging Scholars Program’s hiatus.
Griffin vouched that more students got “lost in the mix” without the program and didn’t know crucial skills such as how to access the many resources available on campus or navigate having a conversation with instructors.
When discussing the current goals for Emerging Scholars, Griffin stated: “Because we started in the middle of the semester, we’re not doing an induction ceremony, but the goal is for students to get comfortable with the program, let them know what the plans are going forward, and give them an idea of what a whole academic year is going to be like.”
Although specific plans have yet to be ironed out for future semesters, the program strives to build connections between the African American students and staff on campus. Emerging Scholars also hopes to foster peer mentorships between the upperclassmen of the program and incoming students who may need help navigating the transition into college.
In the future, the program anticipates some “potluck opportunities and community service” that can offer off-campus work and open conversation surrounding the experiences of program members.
In regards to the expectations Emerging Scholars have for program participants, Griffin commented that the board members will be happy “if they can just show up every two weeks and share their thoughts, be open and candid, [and] talk about their dreams and aspirations.”
The program strives to create a safe space for students to talk about their African American heritage and give participants “a vision of what they can do” in the future by celebrating the accomplishments of associated faculty members. Griffin added that “the goal is to successfully get students to the end and also consider what the next steps are when they finish here.”
When looking back on the previous rosters for the program’s attendance, many students who were involved successfully graduated and kept an average of a 3.0 GPA.
Griffin concluded: “I want to encourage our students of color to give us a chance, to come to the meetings, and be ready to share and become an integral part of Emerging Scholars because there’s going to be students coming behind you… and you are going to be a blessing to students coming behind you, so we need our students today to be active in the program. They can reach back and pull some other students up.”
Students interested in the Emerging Scholars Program are welcome to apply for membership on The Den and attend future meetings which occur every two weeks. The next meeting will take place on Feb. 27, 2023.