Provost Scholars Program Overview
The Provost Scholars Program began as a partnership between Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) and East Cleveland City Schools. The program was founded by former Provost William “Bud” Baeslack and East Cleveland City School District Superintendent Ms. Myrna Corley, to improve the academic outcomes of East Cleveland (Ohio) middle and high school students.
Provost Scholars are selected to:
- Expand their creative, critical thinking and problem solving skills;
- Improve their interpersonal proficiencies; and,
- Explore additional academic pathways to post-secondary institutions by forming a mentoring relationship with CWRU faculty and staff and participating in Intensive University Seminars
Program Components:
- Mentoring Relationship: Provost Scholars are matched with CWRU faculty and staff in a mentoring relationship.
- Pursuit of Higher Education: Provost Scholar Mentees and Mentors will have one-to-one interactions. Mentors will inspire mentees to pursue a higher education and excellence in their performance and to assume leadership roles in the school community.
- Academic and Career Plan: Provost Scholar mentees will work with their mentors to build an academic and career plan, develop a set of goals that consist of academic, social, and cultural activities, and establish a pathway to college or technical and vocational institutions.
- Intensive University Seminars: Scholars will participate in weekly Thursday seminars where they will receive tutoring help from student volunteers, and participate in lectures with knowledgeable speakers who have expertise in history, law, medicine, video gaming, robotics engineering and more.
- The Parents College at Case: The important monthly seminar for parents and guardians of the program. Parents will learn new ways to support their children’s academic achievement and their pursuit for a post-secondary education and a fruitful and engaging career.
- Home Visits: At the beginning of each year, a program staff member will make a home visit to meet the Scholars' parents or guardians. These visits educate parents about the goals of the program, and elicit caregivers' support for their Scholar and the program's goals.
- Electronic Portfolios: Digital space will be provided for each Scholar to store their grades, attendance records, career goals, and other important documents. Mentors, parents and/or guardians, administrators, teachers and the Scholar will have access to the online portfolios in order to track the Scholar's academic progress and make recommendations for their improvement.
- Dr. Myrna Loy Corley Critical Thinking and Writing Annual Award: Annually the program holds an essay competition for all Scholars enrolled in the program. The competition requires students to read a novel distributed at the Winter Celebration and submit an 800 - 1,000-word essay based on the themes and characters in the book. Essay questions vary each year but Scholars in each grade level have an opportunity to compete for First and Second Place prizes.
- Summer Employment Potential: Job opportunities are available for Scholars enrolled in the program. Community partners and collaborators with the Provost Scholars program help to make these employment options a possibility.