Anthony Wilmington, a senior at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s East St. Louis Charter High School (CHS), is sitting in his free hour reading the first chapter of Psychology (10th Edition in Modules) by D.G. Myers.
The textbook is for the SIUE course, Foundations of Psychology, taught by Dr. Andy Pomerantz, a professor of psychology through the School of Education.
“I was happy to hear about the course and was eager to take it,” said the 17-year-old student. “Psychology is something I want to major in. I want to be a psychiatrist.”
He is one of six CHS students enrolled in the SIUE psychology course for college credit, according to Staccy Lampkin, school counselor. Also registered in Pomerantz’s class are: Starr Gibson, Angelica Howard, Aleisha Latta, Taylor Luster and Kamia Suggs. CHS students were selected based on their grade point average and ACT scores and all of them met the eligibility requirements for admission to SIUE.
The result of the initiative began with CHS instructors and staff discussing the possibility of creating dual credit courses with SIUE.
“I tried to find a class that would transfer to any school and to any major,” Lampkin said. “I found that psychology and sociology were good choices.”
The psychology course will fit into the 17-year-old Taylor’s plans of majoring in pre-medicine. “It will help me understand how the brain functions,” she said. “And I might minor in psychology.”
Equally important in the initiative was connecting CHS students with the University, according to SIUE School of Education Dean Bette Bergeron. “By actually being on campus with other undergraduate students and taking a course for college credit, the CHS students will have the opportunity to really experience college life, while gaining critical academic skills that will be invaluable in the future,” she said.
“The School of Education is so proud of these students who have demonstrated both academic success in high school,” Bergeron added, “and the willingness to take the risk to expand their educational opportunities.”
Taylor was nervous the first day of class, but said she felt better after hearing the instructor’s willingness to help answer questions.
“This initiative would not have been possible without the support, of not only the incredible staff at the Charter High School, but also several units across SIUE,” Bergeron said. She credited the program’s success to the Office of the Chancellor, the Office of the Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, the Office of Admissions, Enrollment Management, the Office of the Registrar and the Department of Psychology.
The new program also will mean an increased number of CHS students entering college after high school, said Gina Washington, CHS program director. She concluded: “I am elated that our students are making history.”
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (http://www.siue.edu/) provides students with a high quality, affordable education that prepares them for successful careers and lives of purpose. Built on the foundation of a broad-based liberal education, and enhanced by hands-on research and real-world experiences, the academic preparation SIUE students receive equips them to thrive in the global marketplace and make our communities better places to live. Situated on 2,660 acres of beautiful woodland atop the bluffs overlooking the natural beauty of the Mississippi River’s rich bottom land and only a short drive from downtown St. Louis, the SIUE campus is home to a diverse student body of nearly 14,000.
Photo Information:
A group of SIUE East St Louis Charter High School students show off their Cougar identification cards. From left to right: Angelica Howard, Starr Gibson, Aleisha Latta, Anthony Wilmington, Kamia Suggs and Taylor Luster.