Twenty-five years ago, Vanderbilt University’s student population was lacking in ethnic and cultural diversity. Most students were white and hailed from Tennessee or neighboring Southern states.
Meanwhile, racially and culturally diverse high-achieving students in New York City’s public school system that were accepted into top colleges and universities were not thriving—particularly at traditionally white, private, selective four-year institutions like Vanderbilt.
New York social entrepreneur Deborah Bial took aim at the problem when she founded the Posse Foundation, in which cohorts of inner-city students receive scholarships to attend college together, providing a support system throughout their undergraduate career. Vanderbilt was Posse’s first partner institution, with five students from New York City coming to Vanderbilt and Peabody in 1989.
“Those first Posse students took a risk … and blazed a path for diversity at Vanderbilt.”
—Douglas L. Christiansen
There were many new experiences in store for these students, most of whom were coming to Tennessee—and the South—for the very first time. But they adjusted quickly and set about making their mark. “Posse 1” as this first cohort was known, was instrumental in establishing Vanderbilt’s first Hispanic student admissions weekend, helped found the Rape Survivors Support Group, founded Vanderbilt’s first gospel choir, and organized and directed the first all-African American theatre production in Vanderbilt’s history. They also led fellow students on Alternative Spring Break trips to Latin America and Washington, D.C. In four years, all five graduated with honors.
Many Peabody Posse students have gone on to notable careers, including Shirley Collado, the recently appointed executive vice chancellor for strategic initiatives and executive vice provost at Rutgers University; Monica L. Nelson, chairman and CEO of multicultural advertising agency UniWorld Group, Inc.; Gabrielle Horowitz-Prisco, director of the Juvenile Justice Project, Correctional Association of New York; and Erica Spatz, professor of medicine (cardiology) at Yale University.
A quarter-century later, Vanderbilt continues the partnership by adding a new Posse of 10 New York City students to its first-year class each fall.
“Those first Posse students took a risk by leaving their environment, and blazed a path for creating greater diversity at Vanderbilt, which is currently at 36 percent,” said Douglas L. Christiansen, vice provost for university enrollment affairs and dean of admissions and financial aid at Vanderbilt. “Vanderbilt greatly values diversity in all its forms, and the Posse students continue to enhance a culturally rich learning environment for all students.”
Today Posse has offices in nine cities across the nation, with more than 5,570 scholars selected to attend top-tier colleges and universities throughout
the country.