Mission
ScHOLA²RS House is a Learning Community designed to support the scholastic efforts of male students who identify as African American/Black through academic and social/emotional support, access to research opportunities, and professional development. The intent of this Learning Community is to increase the retention and persistence of students using educational and social experiences to enhance their academic success at UConn and beyond in graduate and professional school placement. ScHOLA²RS House will encourage involvement with the larger university community to foster peer and mentor relationships and will actively engage students in inclusion efforts at UConn.

Josh Brown, LC Director
Josh Brown joined UConn with a background in education and engineering, receiving a degree from Howard University where he helped establish T.R.U.S.T., a society for men pursuing STEM fields of study. He has taught classes such as Engineering Design and 3D Parametric Modeling and coached New London’s First High School Robotics team. He has served as the New London Poet Laureate and has performed throughout Connecticut and published several poems, and he has also assisted with organizing the New London Dream Market with NL Fresh. In his work leading ScHOLA²RS House, Josh works to instill a sense of brotherhood among the Scholars and promote an environment where students support each other as they transition to college life and take advantage of all the opportunities UConn offers them.

ScHOLA²RS House is one of over 30 Learning Communities that UConn students can choose to apply for. Students admitted to ScHOLA²RS House live together in the Peter J. Werth Residence Tower (Werth Tower), sharing a floor with Innovation House students. Werth Tower houses over 700 students participating in eight Learning Communities, providing ample opportunity to engage with students from across majors, interests, and backgrounds. Each Learning Community is led by a team, which can include a LC director, graduate assistants, a residence hall director, student resident assistants, and student mentors. Students enroll in a 1-credit Learning Community-themed FYE (First Year Experience) course or a 1-credit LC Sophomore Seminar and engage in various activities throughout the academic year.

What is a Learning Community?
Learning Communities are nationally proven high-impact practice that provide cohorts of students with opportunities to investigate areas of interest, either based on their major or an interdisciplinary topic, through guided courses and co-curricular activities. Learning Communities develop knowledgeable, responsible, engaged citizens in a culture of inquiry within a learner-centered university. While assisting students with their transition to academic life, they offer a small college feel and a sense of place on a large campus; they promote meaningful and sustained interactions with faculty, staff, and student leaders; and they provide an effective structure for curricular coherence, deeper learning, student success, persistence, and engagement. The UConn Learning Communities program was ranked a Top 25 LC program in the nation by U.S. News & World report.

Is ScHOLA²RS House optional?
Yes. First- and second-year undergraduate students can apply to participate in any Living/Learning Community for which they are eligible.

If I apply to live in ScHOLA²RS House, will I be separated from the rest of campus?
No. Typically, students do not spend their days in their residence hall. Students are in classes across campus, they participate in student organizations, they apply for leadership opportunities and work in offices across campus, they study in the library, they share meals in several dining halls, and so forth. A student’s Learning Community is simply a cohort of students with whom they engage in activities, such as they would if they joined another organization. It will not encompass a student’s entire college experience. What it will do is provide a group of faculty, staff, and students who support each other and encourage the success of its members academically, professionally, and socially.

Why design a Learning Community that will examine the  African American/Black male college experience?
Nationally, as well as at the University of Connecticut, the retention and graduation rate of black males is significantly lower than that of other demographic groups. There are a number of factors contributing to these statistics. In response to the research on black male success in college, we have developed a grant-launched program to intentionally provide a supportive community of engagement for students using the successful Learning Community model which provides enrichment programs for undergraduate students on campus. There are also a number of students, faculty, and staff who continually expressed an interest in supporting or collaborating with ScHOLA²RS House, and we welcome these requests.

Who can apply to live in ScHOLA²RS House?
Any first- or second-year male undergraduate student of any major enrolled at the University of Connecticut, eligible for on-campus housing, and interested in engaging in topics related to the experience of black males in higher education is invited to apply.