Newswise — Ten high school seniors from New York City have been awarded Posse Scholarships at Babson College. The group, selected to be part of Babson Posse 14, will serve as the institution’s newest cohort of youth leaders joining the Class of 2021 in the Fall of 2017.

The Posse Foundation identifies public high school students with extraordinary academic and leadership potential who may be overlooked by the traditional college selection process. The organization extends to them the opportunity to pursue personal and academic excellence by placing them in supportive, multicultural teams. These teams—called Posses—then go on to attend partner colleges and universities.

Babson College has been a Posse partner school for 14 years, and remains the only business-focused school among the more than 40 partner institutions nationwide.

Professor Vikki Rodgers, an associate professor of ecology and environmental science at Babson, will serve as Posse 14’s faculty mentor. She established an early affinity with the program when she was invited by Posse Scholars to attend a Posse Plus Retreat.

Rodgers has served on the Honors Council and Undergraduate Academic Policy Committee (UAPC), has received numerous teaching and research awards, and credits mentoring students as among her most rewarding experiences.

“I am honored and excited to get to work with, and help guide, these incredibly talented and dedicated students,” said Professor Rodgers following the recent Posse Foundation Awards Ceremony in New York City.

“Babson College Posse Scholars have an outstanding track record with an impressive graduation rate, numerous academic and leadership awards, and overall tangible presence as campus leaders,” said Babson College Dean of the Undergraduate School Ian Lapp. “We’re proud to continue our relationship with this innovative organization, and are excited to welcome our newest cohort of Posse scholars.”

To date:

• The Babson Posse graduation rate is 97 percent

• Eighty-two percent of Babson Posse Scholars have achieved Dean’s List

• Three student commencement speakers in the last four years were Babson Posse Scholars, and many have played leadership role in broad array of campus organizations

• Two Babson Posse Scholars have received the Babson Distinguished Recent Alumni Award, and overall the Posse Scholars have had strong alumni engagement

Rogers joins a distinguished group of faculty and staff who serve as Posse mentors: • Professor Richard Bliss, Posse 1

• Professor Kathleen McKone-Sweet, Posse 2

• Professor Mary Pinard, Posse 3

• Former Librarian Linda Reifler-Alessi, Posse 4

• Associate Professor Katherine Platt, Posse 5

• Senior Lecturer Neal Harris, Posse 6

• Senior Lecturer Virginia Soybel, Posse 7

• Professor Elizabeth Swanson, Posse 8

• Associate Professor Donna Stoddard, Posse 9

• Associate Professor G. Shankar, Posse 10

• Professor Kevin Bruyneel, Posse 11

• Professor Marjorie Feld, Posse 12

• Associate Professor Jenny Rademacher, Posse 13

About the Posse Foundation

The Posse Foundation has identified, recruited and trained 6,993 public high school students with extraordinary academic and leadership potential to become Posse Scholars. Since 1989, these students—many of whom might have been overlooked by traditional college selection processes—have been receiving four-year, full-tuition leadership scholarships from Posse’s partner institutions of higher education. Most important, Posse Scholars persist and graduate at a rate of 90 percent and make a visible difference on campus and throughout their professional careers.

About Babson College

Babson College is the educator, convener, and thought leader for Entrepreneurship of All Kinds®. The top-ranked college for entrepreneurship education, Babson is a dynamic living and learning laboratory where students, faculty, and staff work together to address the real-world problems of business and society. We prepare the entrepreneurial leaders our world needs most: those with strong functional knowledge and the skills and vision to navigate change, accommodate ambiguity, surmount complexity, and motivate teams in a common purpose to make a difference in the world, and have an impact on organizations of all sizes and types. As we have for nearly a half-century, Babson continues to advance Entrepreneurial Thought & Action® as the most positive force on the planet for generating sustainable economic and social value. Visit www.babson.edu