Smart Scholars students delve into fun literacy projects with local children during the summer program, overseen by Janine Bixler, Mount Saint Mary College professor of Education.
Mount Saint Mary College and the Newburgh Enlarged City School District’s Newburgh Free Academy (NFA) recently launched the first cohort of the new Smart Scholars early college program.
Funded by a New York State Education Department grant, the collaborative initiative offers underrepresented high school students the opportunity to earn a full year of transferable college credits at no cost to themselves or their families.
Smart Scholars leverage the summer break to bring students directly onto the Mount Saint Mary College campus to learn from full-time college faculty.
“These students get to experience what it’s really like to be on a college campus,” said Jen Bready, Dean of the School of Arts, Sciences, and Education and Professor of Mathematics at the Mount. “This is even more intense than a standard college course because it’s so compressed – three weeks of daily 9-to-4 classes. They get completely immersed in it.”
This summer, students earned three college credits while receiving comprehensive financial support through the state grant, which covered all tuition, daily bus transportation, and on-campus breakfast and lunch.
The inaugural summer cohort featured two specialized pathways designed to align with student interests while building strong peer support. Nearly 20 students dove into interactive development, tackling hands-on computing and game programming projects directly in the classroom.
Another cohort explored the intersection of teaching and psychology, combining coursework with immediate field experience. These scholars put theory into practice under the guidance of Mount faculty, including Professor of Education Janine Bixler, by working directly with young children at the on-campus Bishop Dunn Memorial School.
Beyond core academics, the Smart Scholars program functions as an intensive introduction to college life. Students develop critical self-management skills by transitioning from Google Classroom to eClass, the Mount’s professional learning management system. Students will need to use eClass or similar technology when they transition to college. The Smart Scholars students also participated in academic research during library literacy training sessions, collaborated with other students on team-based presentations and structured problem-solving activities, and build time management skills via adhering to a daily schedule.
Structured as a three-year commitment starting in the sophomore year, the Smart Scholars program enables students to complete 10 courses and earn 30 college credits by high school graduation. Upon completion of the program, these students will begin their college careers a full year ahead of their peers – and without the associated debt.