Black and Gold Student Success Initiative
DePauw Student Support Resources
The Black and Gold Student Success Initiative (BGSSI) at DePauw is a four-year cohort program dedicated to empowering students - especially those joining from community-based organizations and first-generation students. This vibrant program is designed to foster academic achievement, leadership and personal growth, guiding you through your DePauw journey. Rooted in the pillars of scholarship, leadership, service and integration, BGSSI provides a supportive community and a proactive framework for success.
Through broad cross-campus partnerships, BGSSI offers the connections needed to quickly establish a comprehensive support system that continues through graduation. Students in BGSSI benefit from peer mentorship, group meetings, retreats, alumni connections and specialized credit-bearing courses – all tailored to help you thrive academically and personally.
Black and Gold Student Success Initiative
BGSSI participants participate in workshops and credit-bearing classes including Strategies for Successful Scholars and Designing Your Life: Work, Play, Love, Health.
Bi-weekly meetings with your Aspirational Peer Mentor in individual and group settings establish a pattern of connection and community that cultivates student growth.
Tailored experiences geared toward the individual student allow for successful transition from high school to college, first year to second year and through graduation.
The Black and Gold Student Success Initiative partners with a broad range of campus groups, including:
Frequently Asked Questions about BGSSI
Anyone. You will be invited to participate in BGSSI if you were enrolled, as a high school student, in one of our partner community based organizations or if you are a first-generation college student. Participation in BGSSI aligns with institutional goals and objectives to support the student experience at DePauw.
It can vary from person to person, but benefits can include the development of a sense of community, the development of student success strategies, more in-depth knowledge of campus resources, meeting DePauw alumni, and the opportunity to develop life-long friendships, which can also become part of your professional networks.
The primary time commitments are the individual and group meetings with the BGSSI Aspirational Peer Mentor. The Aspirational Peer Mentor and their mentees will establish a time to meet individually and by group, once every two-weeks. This time arrangement can be adjusted between the APM and their mentee during the course of the academic term. It is important the APM and their mentees are in communication with each other.
Anthony Tillman, Dean for Student Academic Success and Equity and his merry band of Aspirational Peer Mentors!
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