May 2001 University Reporter

By Kelly McLaughlin

The fall 2001 semester will kick off an exciting program aimed at supporting a group of new scholarship recipients. The Taylor Scholar Learning Community is a new and expanded approach to helping students find greater coherence in what they are learning and to increasing their level of interaction with faculty and fellow students.

For more than 15 years the Boston Globe Foundation has supported Boston students through the John O. and William Davis Taylor Outstanding Scholars Program. Approximately 15 students, one from each of the Boston public high schools, enter the program each year. In a collaborative partnership, the foundation provides funding to cover 50 percent of billed charges and the university makes every attempt to fund the other 50 percent through financial aid. Additionally, an academic advisor devotes a significant part of his or her time specifically to the Taylor scholars, providing extra academic support.

In the fall of 1999, the Taylor Scholars Program piloted a freshman seminar course as a precursor to the proposed university-wide revised general education requirement implemented in the fall of 2000. Under the direction of the then program advisor Lana W. Jackman, Taylor scholars enrolled in a first year seminar (FYS) course entitled Society and Communication Technology. The course introduced the Taylor scholars to the general education competencies within an information literacy framework. Differing from FYS courses offered in the University-wide pilot effort, the Taylor FYS involved both a faculty member and a reference librarian in a unique collaboration. The course was offered again in the fall of 2000 as part of the official general education requirement.

The new Taylor Scholar Learning Community will build upon this past success. Taylor scholars entering in the fall of 2001 will become part of a cohort group who will register for three consecutive semester courses: a first year seminar, a management information systems course, and an intermediate seminar. These courses will be open to Taylor scholars exclusively. Mary Beth Maneen, the Taylor Scholar Program advisor, will oversee the learning community, working very closely with faculty members to identify students who may be in need of additional support or intervention services.

In addition to providing a framework aimed at increasing retention rates, the learning community module will serve to solidify the relationship between the Taylor scholars and the Boston Globe Foundation, as well as provide a base of peer support for the students. Says Maneen, “The creation of the Taylor Scholar Learning Community enhances and reinforces the pedagogy and spirit of life learning underlying the new general education requirements. I am excited to be a participant in a learning curriculum that supports peer learning and skill development inside and outside the classroom.”

McLaughlin is the coordinator for merit-based scholarships. John Applebee of the University Advising Center contributed material for this article. This column is a part of a continuing monthly series featuring best practices at UMass Boston. Interested in highlighting your best practices? Submit your ideas to news@umb.edu.

Best Practices: Taylor Scholars Program