POSSE Miami to Partner with University of Pennsylvania, First Ivy League Partner University for Leading College Scholarship Program

New York, NY – July 8, 2009 – Deborah Bial, President and Founder of The Posse Foundation, announced today that the Miami-Dade County Public Schools will become the 7th public school system participating in the Foundation.

The Posse Foundation recruits and trains dynamic young people from urban high schools and sends them to top-tier colleges and universities as part of multicultural groups of 10 called “Posses.” These “Posses” act as built-in support systems for the students in the months prior to arriving at college and in the years to come. These students undergo rigorous preparation and arrive on campus well-prepared for academic work and student life, and ready to engage in cross cultural dialogue.

Posse Miami will partner with the University of Pennsylvania, the first Ivy League School to join Posse’s roster of participating colleges and universities.

“We’re thrilled to open in Miami with the University of Pennsylvania as our lead partner,” Deborah Bial said. “With over 350,000 students and the second largest minority-serving school system in the country, the Miami-Dade County Public Schools is an ideal home for Posse’s newest program chapter.”

It is expected that Posse Miami will begin recruitment this August and the first Miami Posse will enroll at Penn in September 2010.

“Our partnership with the Posse Foundation advances our goal of making Penn more accessible to exceptional students who otherwise could not afford an Ivy League education,” Penn President Amy Gutmann said. “More and more evidence indicates that excellence and diversity go hand in hand, and I am confident that Posse Miami scholars will contribute their talents, leadership and passion to make our great University ever better, just as Penn will transform their lives for the better.”

Miami-Dade County Public Schools Superintendent Alberto M. Carvalho said, “Our students today will become our leaders tomorrow. The Posse program is exactly the kind of initiative that is needed to help ensure that students who show promise and intelligence have access to a first-rate college education. In addition, Posse instills a sense of teamwork among students and a recognition that we are all in this together, whether in a classroom, an office building or a larger community. We are all very excited to welcome Posse to Miami-Dade.”

Since its launch in 1989, The Posse Foundation, which is headquartered in New York City, has sent over 2,650 students to college. These students have won over $265 million in scholarships from the participating colleges and universities. The Posse program has been an overwhelming success: Posse students graduate at a rate of 90 percent, well above the national average.

The official launch celebration of Posse Miami will be held on July 8, from 8 to 10 a.m. at Club 50, Viceroy Miami Hotel, 485 Brickell Avenue. Posse’s Deborah Bial, Dean of Admissions Eric Furda from the University of Pennsylvania, and Florida Department of Education Chairman T. Willard Fair and Superintendent Carvalho will be on-hand to discuss the program.

Generous support from the The New World Foundation and the Novo Foundation, which each issued a challenge grant of $250,000, allowed Posse to raise over $500,000 in additional support toward the opening of the new site.

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http://www.upenn.edu/pennnews/article.php?id=1684
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/local/20090708_Penn_to_partner_with_Posse_Foundation.html
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/miami-dade/story/1133651.html
http://thechoice.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/08/a-pipeline-from-miami-to-upenn/
http://www.philly.com/philly/education/50206317.html

http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2009/07/08/posse