Founded in 1989, the Posse Foundation identifies public high school students with extraordinary academic and leadership potential who may be overlooked by traditional college selection processes. Posse extends to these students the opportunity to pursue personal and academic excellence by placing them in supportive, multicultural teams — Posses — of 10 students. Posse partner colleges and universities award Posse Scholars four-year, full-tuition leadership scholarships. A significant percentage of Posse Scholars are African Americans.
The Posse Foundation recruits high school students in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, New Orleans, and Washington, D.C. The foundation then places posses of 10 students at its partner colleges and universities. Several partnership institutions admit two or more posses each year. Since 1989 more than 4,200 students have received scholarships from partner institutions valued at more than $486 million.
Cornell University is one of the Posse Foundation’s newest partners. Next fall a posse of 10 students from urban schools in Chicago will enroll at Cornell. The university has agreed to support one posse of 10 students for the next five years.
Cornell President David Skorton said, “Cornell’s partnership with the Posse Foundation is a natural fit, because of our long-standing commitment to educational access, diversity, and outreach aligns perfectly with their mission.”
