TALH program offers preview day

The Texas Academy of Leadership in the Humanities (TALH) will host a spring preview day at the Mary and John Gray Library on Saturday, Feb. 21. The Academy is an early entrance college residential honors program at Lamar University.

“Our preview day is a fantastic opportunity for parents and interested students to learn more about our program and hear first hand from students the benefits of an early college education,” said Ted Stuberfield, director of the Academy. “We are extremely delighted to provide a venue in which gifted students can explore the possibilities of their educational careers and plan for future collegiate, career, and human development.”

During the preview day there will be presentations on the academic and social life at TALH, residence hall living and security, financial aid, and the benefits of a TALH education as well as presentations from administrators, students, and parents. The day begins with check in at the University Reception Center, 8th Floor of the Mary and John Gray Library at 9:30 a.m. The event will conclude at 2:00 p.m. Pre-registration is suggested and may be done online at lamar.edu/texasacademy.

“The academy is one of two such programs created by the Texas State Legislature,” said Scott Stevenson, assistant director of the academy. Established in 1994, the program gives high school-aged juniors and seniors the opportunity to accumulate 60 or more hours of college credit by graduation.

All students accepted into the unique program receive full-tuition scholarships for up to 15 credit hours per semester and get to live on campus, as any other college student.

To be admitted into the Academy, applicants apply as high school sophomores and must meet specific requirements, including a score of at least 1,000 on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) with no less than 500 on the critical reading and math sections of the test. TALH is a highly selective program for students eager for an enriched intellectual experience, enhanced by programs in the humanities and leadership development.

Stevenson believes the social and cultural nourishment the students receive may be part of the reason they display such success after graduation. In its capacity as a special-purpose school district, the Academy has been authorized to confer its own diploma.

TALH students have the opportunity to pursue the ideals of academic excellence, ethical leadership and community service within the context of a rigorous university setting, far beyond that of a high school education. Students are given the opportunity to pursue research that only a university experience can provide.

TALH uses the humanities to help create better citizens who are aware of the world around them, can think critically about their situations and work actively to better their environment.

For more information about the program, visit lamar.edu/texasacademy or call (409) 839-2995.