History & Mission Statement
History of ACT 101
As the Speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, Mr. K. Leroy Irvis was all too familiar with the unavailability of higher education to lower income families. He knew there were many young people who were denied access to Pennsylvania colleges and universities due to their low socioeconomic status. He firmly believed that economics should not disqualify a young person the opportunity of a proper education. He believed in the skills and intelligence of all students, not only those who could afford the rising cost of tuition.
Through the contributions of many social equity organizations across the state, Mr. Irvis and his colleagues created the Pennsylvania Higher Education Equal Opportunity Act of 1971, ACT 101. Through hard work, dedication, and perseverance, Mr. Irvis made his personal mission of equal educational opportunity a reality that has provided millions of students the opportunity to pursue an advanced degree in the state of Pennsylvania.
To date, there are over 76 Pennsylvania colleges and universities that provide the wide array of services outlined in Act 101. Since its inception in 1971, Shippensburg University has been dedicated to helping its students receive the best education possible. Currently, Shippensburg University has over 200 young men and women enrolled in its program. Most recently, the title of the program has been changed to the Academic Success Program. The implementation of the new program name will allow more students access to program benefits such as tutorial services, counseling, and developmental instruction. Under previous Act 101 guidelines, these students would have been considered ineligible.
Our Mission Statement
It is the mission of the Shippensburg University's Act 101 Program to provide a comprehensive academic support system to enhance the retention, persistence, and graduation rates of its Academic Success students.
It is the philosophy of the program that students who are admitted into the program have the motivation, desire and the potential to successfully complete the requirements to graduate. To this end, the program's efforts continue to be geared towards skill development, skill enhancement, awareness of and linkage to campus and community resources that will assist students in reaching their goals of obtaining post-secondary degrees, gainful employment.
Long Term Goals
- To provide access to higher education for students who would not be admitted to the University using regular admission criteria (grades and aptitude test scores).
- To enhance the persistence, retention, and graduation rates of Academic Success Program students.
- To continue to integrate the Academic Success Program into the culture of the university
Short Term Goals
- To provide a comprehensive support system that will enable Academic Success students to overcome academic, social, cultural, financial and/or racial barriers to become confident leaders.
- To enhance the campus image of the Academic Success Program.
- To continue providing a summer pre-college residential experience program design to enhance and or remediate academic and social skills of program students