Project Jump Start expected to help new Lincoln freshmen

A new Lincoln University summer program is designed to ease the transition from high school to college for incoming freshmen.

Project Jump Start was created by the Division of Student Affairs as a recruitment, retention and completion program.

"When we crafted the program, we were thinking about ways to provide students an opportunity to get a jump start on their collegiate experience, ease their transition from high school to college and teach them the necessary skills needed to be successful students," said Jerome Offord, dean of administration and student affairs, in an emailed response to questions.

Offord created the program and found LU funding to support it. He also put together a team that believed in the mission to implement the program.

The idea for the program, he said, came from a conversation with student affairs staff and faculty.

"We were discussing and identifying needs of students. Then I asked a 'what if' question, and the conversation continued," Offord said. "We eventually talked about the program and pitched it to President (Kevin) Rome, and he said, 'Go for it!'"

Offord said other universities have similar programs, although different universities target different populations of students. Some universities, for instance, focus on honor students.

It is funded by the university but modeled after the U.S. Department of Education's Upward Bound Program.

He said the program supports the university's performance-based measures approved by the state. Those goals include ensuring students graduate in four years, increasing matriculation/retention rates and, in the long-term, increasing graduation rates.

Although the program targets students who had academic challenges in high school, it is open to all students.

Students pay regular summer school fees to participate in the program.