Former Program Benefits

Before the Teagle initiative closed at VSU, there were multiple tangible benefits for students participating in this program. See the complete list below.

No Fee and Fully Residential Program: One of the biggest draws of our program was that students entering the program, aka Teagle Fellows, did not incur any cost at any point for attending the program. The fully residential summer program augmented the deal for those curious minds who are looking to experience a beautiful college campus life at Valdosta State University.

College Credit: Rising high school seniors who were selected into the program through our competitive application process received two hours of college academic credits that counted toward students’ Perspectives (PERS) courses. These are a required component of our general studies curriculum. PERS courses are interdisciplinary in nature and thus the focus of our Summer Seminar program would be an excellent match for these credits. To earn such credit, the selected students for the program were required to:

Hardship Stipends: The program offered a limited number of hardship stipends to students who had college plans but cannot forego summer jobs to attend the summer residential program. These stipends made this program a viable option for many of our students who might not have considered it otherwise.

Mentoring: VSU Teagle Fellows were mentored by faculty and peers (i.e., current VSU students) while attending the summer program at VSU campus. Our 10:1 student-faculty and 5:1 student-peer tutor ratios for the summer program ensured a robust and tailored mentoring component. Upon completion of the summer program, faculty continued to mentor students as they worked on their civic projects and prepared college application materials. These mentors offered guidance to assist students in the completion of their civic projects, as well as helping them present at the VSU Undergraduate Research Symposium and advising them on their college and career plans.

Cohort-based learning: The summer seminar was predicated on cohort-based learning, such that our Teagle Fellows not only formed bonds with their faculty and peer mentors, but also with other Teagle Fellows. This is the same approach VSU uses to support student success among incoming students from academic backgrounds that may not be quite as strong as the typical, newly admitted college student.

Letters of Recommendation: VSU Teagle Fellows who successfully completed the summer seminar course and their service learning projects can request that faculty write letters of recommendation in support of their college application and scholarship applications. Individualized mentorship will allow faculty to know the Fellows well enough to advocate for them by writing recommendation letters. Students are still eligible to request these letters by contacting us.

College Application and Success Support: VSU Teagle Fellows learned about the college application process by attending a workshop on college preparedness. The workshop was taught by an expert in the field who regularly teaches the course "VSU 1101: Keys to College Success". This workshop offered students additional academic support that helped strengthen learning skills critical to college success.

Service Learning Project Experience: All VSU Teagle Fellows worked with a local non-profit or a local government agency on a civic issue. This service learning experience over a period of 7-8 months culminated into a professional presentation at the VSU Undergraduate Research Symposium. Fellows also received a certificate of completion for presenting civic projects at the VSU Undergraduate Research Symposium. These experiences helped students in fulfilling VSU’s experiential learning graduation requirement. With the civic project experience in hand, VSU Teagle Fellows will have/had an advantage over others during their first year of college. The civic project experience additionally helped build strong foundational skills in leadership and communications in our Fellows.

Initiation Into College-Level Work: For former Teagle Fellows, the biggest take away from attending the program was increased confidence in reading, writing, and discussing challenging texts. Students received an opportunity to complete critical reading of passages from great texts and learn to connect them with analyzing contemporary challenges afflicting society and politics in the U.S./countries around the world. No prior interest in specific disciplines was required for students in the program.

Experience a College Campus for Three-Weeks: Our Fellows were able to experience the beautiful VSU campus for three full weeks with all expenses paid. The time spent on our college campus, and with various university personnel, was critical in fostering academic persistence among these students. Indeed, gaining an understanding of how college works, how to succeed in higher education, and feeling at home on a college campus, was vitally important in helping students overcome the impostor syndrome that plagues so many students from underserved backgrounds.

Serve as Future Peer Mentors: VSU Teagle Fellows, who are alumni of the program, were eligible to serve as peer mentors to the newer cohorts during their collegiate years. This allowed them to earn additional experiential learning credit hours while pursuing undergraduate degrees, as well as foster the next generation of scholars.

Be Part of a Distinguished Community of Teagle Fellows: VSU Teagle Fellows became a part of a distinguished group of alumni from other postsecondary institutions across the nation upon completion of our program. This connection can open new life and career opportunities beyond college for these students.