During a week on campus more than 200 high school sophomores and juniors attend classes, live in residence halls and talk with Ball State students and faculty about college life.

The Summer Scholars Program, now in its 12th year, provides minority students with valuable information about higher education, said David Davis, director of Ball State's Early Outreach Program.

"It is an early intervention program that gets students thinking about their options," Davis said. "Research has found we must reach students very early in their high school years to convince them that higher education is a realistic goal.

"Some students have given little, if any, thought about what they'll do after high school," he said. "We believe that if they have a good experience while they are on our campus that they'll attend a college. For some, it really changes their perceptions about their futures."

Davis helped start the program in 1990 after seeing it work when he was at the University of Illinois. About 1,400 students have participated in the program with a significant number eventually attending a two- or four-year college or technical school.

The university conducted a series of studies in the mid-1990s focusing on the program's effectiveness. Research found that after spending a week on a college campus, the majority of students return to their high schools in the fall to enroll in advanced math and science classes.

"In as little as a week, students quickly realize how much work it takes to prepare for college," Davis said. "Exposing them to college life works. It puts them in the right frame of mind to succeed.

"From Ball State's perspective, it is a soft sell for the university," he said. "We do get students to enroll here, but we just want them to go to college. It doesn't matter if its here."

University officials will honor the program's top academic achievers during a noon luncheon Thursday at the Alumni Center, 2800 W. Bethel Ave.

(NOTE TO EDITORS: For more information, contact Davis at ddavis@bsu.eduor (765) 285-5837.)