The Posse Foundation and Posse Scholars

The Posse Foundation's mission is to "identify recruit and train student leaders from public high schools to form multicultural teams called Posses. These teams are then prepared, through an intensive eight-month Pre-Collegiate Program, for enrollment at top-tier universities nationwide to pursue their academics and to help promote cross-cultural communication on campus. The program is rooted in the belief that a small, diverse group of talented students - a Posse - carefully selected and trained, can serve as a catalyst for increased individual and community development." www.possefoundation.org. Posse currently has sites in seven major cities across the United States: Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Washington D.C., Atlanta, and now, Miami. The Posse Foundation has three goals:

  • To expand the pool from which top colleges and universities can recruit outstanding young leaders from diverse backgrounds.
  • To help these institutions build more interactive campus environments so that they can be more welcoming for people from all backgrounds.
  • To ensure that Posse Scholars persist in their academic studies and graduate, so they can take on leadership positions in the workforce.

The Posse program was founded in 1989 and Grinnell College has been a partner with Los Angeles for 9 years and D.C. for 7 years. Each year the college accordingly enrolls 20 new Posse Scholars. Grinnell partners with the Posse Foundation with the following goals:

  • Recruiting and retaining students who might otherwise be overlooked in the traditional admissions process.
  • Enrolling students who have demonstrated leadership and resiliency.
  • Expanding Grinnell College's definitions and understanding of diversity and inclusion.
  • Promoting cross-cultural communication and dialogues on campus and the community.

The Posse Plus Retreat

Every spring, Posse Scholars organize a "Posse Plus Retreat" that attracts students, faculty, and staff to participate in a focused discussion around common issues over the course of a weekend. The retreat includes a range of activities designed to appeal to various discussion styles and concludes with action planning to return innovative ideas and strategies back to campus. A key goal of Posse and its programs is to ensure that all discussion returns as a positive contribution to and cultural evolution at the home campus. The retreat provides an opportunity to think and share issues of diversity from a perspective that integrates the heart and mind, often a departure from the highly intellectual and intense academic environment on campus.

Retreat Topics:
  • 2004 - "Who Belongs? Gettin' in and Fittin' in"
  • 2005 - "The Multicultural Facebook: Exploring Culture on the Grinnell College Campus"
  • 2006 - "Political Paradox: Ideals vs. Actions"
  • 2007 - "Times are Changing... is Grinnell?"
  • 2008 - "Who Cares? The Weight of Social Responsibility"
  • 2009 - "On Education"
  • 2010 - "Do We Still Need to Talk About Race?"
  • 2011 - "Millennials"
  • 2012 - "Gender and Sexuality in the 21st Century" 
  • 2013 - "What's Your Worth? Class, Power and Privilege in America"