I never would've dropped out of college if I'd had my posse with me.
About The Posse Foundation
That quote from one student sparked the simple idea of sending a group of students to college together so they could "back each other up."
Since then, the program has expanded to more than 20 U.S. cities, partners with more than 70 selective institutions of higher education, and has awarded more than $1.2 billion in scholarships to students with extraordinary academic and leadership potential.
The program has been recognized as one of the most comprehensive college success and leadership development initiatives in the country. In 2007, Posse President and Founder Deborah Bial was awarded a MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship. In 2010, President Barack Obama honored Posse with a portion of his Nobel Peace Prize grant.
Posse's Mission
The Posse model works for both students and college campuses and is rooted in the belief that a small group of talented students—a Posse—carefully selected and trained, can serve as a catalyst for individual and community development. Posse believes that the leaders of the 21st century should be prepared to navigate complexity, build consensus, and address the challenges facing our world. Its primary aim is to train these leaders of tomorrow. As the flagship and largest Posse campus, the Posse Scholars Program at Vanderbilt University will be a second home to cohorts from New York, Houston, Atlanta, and Miami (beginning Fall 2026). Through mentoring, shared experiences, and strong community connections, this flagship campus will cultivate the strength of “one Posse.”
Posse's Goals
- To expand the pool from which top colleges and universities can recruit outstanding young leaders from diverse backgrounds.
- To help these institutions build more interactive campus environments so that they can be more welcoming for people from all backgrounds.
- To ensure that Posse Scholars persist in their academic studies and graduate so they can take on leadership positions in the workforce.
The History of Posse at Vanderbilt
As the original Posse partner, Vanderbilt has proudly shared the Foundation’s mission of empowering student leaders to reach their potential.
As part of its mission to support an integrated and diverse student body, Vanderbilt University took a chance on a then unknown program and became the first institution to partner with Posse, providing scholarships to cohorts of public high school students from New York City.
There were five students in the first Posse. Due to the vision and support they received from Vanderbilt professors and administrators and from each other, the first pioneering Posse thrived.
Due in large part to its social justice mission and the success of the model of Vanderbilt, the Posse program grew.
Vanderbilt Growth & Expansion
Vanderbilt Chancellor Emeritus, Joe B. Wyatt, once called Posse, “a movement”. Indeed, the program has expanded to include two cohorts of 10 students from New York City and one from Houston, with plans to add cohorts in Miami and Atlanta in the future.
As the Vanderbilt Posse Scholar Program continues to grow, so to has our staff, mentors and donors whose support is invaluable to the success of our program and students.