Jason D. Mims
Lieutenant Colonel, US Army, Retired
CELL: (813) 787-0392
jason
The MIMS Institute www.mimsinstitute.com
Promoting academic excellence in key urban zip codes
…The fruit of LOVE is SERVICE. The fruit of SERVICE is PEACE.
Mother Teresa’s Business Card
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In early May 2012, I surrendered my Florida Driver’s License and retired the Florida SERVANT License Plate that I received from the Department of Motor Vehicles a couple of years before the beginning of the 21st Century. Acquiring a Texas Driver’s License and Texas vehicle tags completed the mental move from Florida to Texas.
We (April and I) now live with my mother-in-law in San Antonio. Her house is a block over from the street where I lived from age 10 to 16. Her house is in the same ZIP code (78220) where I went to high school–Sam Houston High. Back then, Sam Houston was “Home of the Cherokees.” Today, it is “Home of the Hurricanes.”
As a Retired Servant in Texas, I still embrace opportunities to make a difference–even if only at the margins. The Story of the Starfish ends with “[It makes] a difference to that…
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I have followed the reporting on the UTA Scholarship fundraising effort. I am electing to share with you what comes to mind as I read the articles.
What percentage of the UTA graduates are eligible for Bright Futures Scholarships—or are any/most of these students competitive for Florida’s most popular/most expensive merit scholarship program?
We also might explore indicators that these graduates may—indeed—have the academic preparation to earn “four year degrees in four years or less.” Most of the public universities in Florida have a four-year graduation rate below 50%. The US Chamber of Commerce circulated a graphic in 2009, when these young people were high school sophomores. It shows that nationwide, 18 of 100 high school freshmen will earn associate’s or bachelor’s degrees within six years of the class cohort graduating from high school. The effort to raise four-year tuition and book scholarships for the UTA graduates might be a sign of someone’s confidence in their academic preparation to “buck this trend.”
Further investigation could reveal the caliber of student heading off to college with a commitment to return to teach in urban schools. Some may be members of their school’s National Honor Society and included in their graduating class’s Honor Court. Perhaps some are AP Scholars and graduated with AP Calculus on their transcripts. The data may show that many (or some) took more than the two-year minimum foreign language graduation requirement for college-bound students.
As the UTA Program matures, there are opportunities to ensure that future UTA graduates demonstrate Academic Excellence while they are in high school. Two benefits: They are likely to receive scholarships from other sources that reduce the education foundation’s fundraising requirements; and the UTA will put young people on the road to becoming—and returning to urban schools as—high-quality teachers.
I did some simple math using dollar amounts provided in the June 15 article, I determined that the total spread over 29 incoming freshmen equals less than a $2,900 per academic year investment for each student’s tuition and books. Maybe there are other hidden dollars that when added to those visible reflect a community’s strong commitment to effectively addressing teacher quality in urban schools.
news.yahoo.com/asian-immigrants-us-now-surpass-hispanics… (more…)
| In His Service, Jason Jason D. Mims The MIMS Institute promotes Academic Excellence among youth in urban ZIP codes “for the betterment of the quality of life.” |
Honorable Glenton Gilzean
Board Member, District 7
Pinellas County School Board
Sir, Greetings!
http://www.tampabay.com/blogs/gradebook/content/lerner-airs-concerns-about-gilzeans-graduates
I read about your initiative in the Tampa Bay Times and its Gradebook Blog. Your commitment to write letters of recommendations for 75 students when they apply to college in a couple of years shows once again your passion for serving others. I applaud this example which reflects what ordinary people can do to help urban students “rise above low expectations.”
Perhaps other Pinellas County School Board members also write letters of recommendations for graduating seniors applying to college. Your initiative, however, highlights that youth in South St. Petersburg will be routine beneficiaries of these simple acts of kindness. By publicly announcing your intent to get to know the students personally, you highlight the value these young people have. The message is clear: Their potential is a worthy investment of your time.
Ten year ago, I invested a period of months visiting 159 black male freshmen enrolled in English I Honors in Hillsborough County Schools. While some questioned my efforts, I learned how spending time in fellowship with our future leads to what the Notre Dame Alumni Association calls “the betterment of the quality of life.” I look forward to gaining your insights about how the students you fellowship with enrich the lives of others!
In His Service,
Jason
Jason D. Mims
Lieutenant Colonel
US Army, Retired
C: 813-787-0392
The MIMS Institute promotes Academic Excellence among youth in urban ZIP codes “for the betterment of the quality of life.”
All, Greetings!
Think of Mother’s Day 2012, ZIP code 33705, the message about black males in this South St. Petersburg community, the public education system, and Duke University.
Eight years ago, a young black male from ZIP code 33705 challenged himself by enrolling in the International Baccalaureate Program at St. Petersburg High School. Over the years, others in his community helped shape the “Schools-to-Prison-Pipeline” message that is so much in vogue these days. Daren Miller took a different path. He figured it out. Public schools offer a path to America’s Best Colleges. He chose this “road less-traveled.”
On Sunday, May 12, 2012, Daren received his undergraduate degree from Duke University. US News & World Report lists Duke among the nation’s top ten national universities.
The cost of Daren’s four years at Duke exceeded $200,000. Duke, however, assembles significant portions of America’s vast wealth for postsecondary education and makes these resources available to accepted students. Many other top national universities do the same. Daren also received national scholarships, including being named a 2008 Ron Brown Scholar. In neighborhoods like South St. Petersburg across the nation, black males exist who have strong reading and critical-thinking skills. The road ahead for many of them is perhaps more difficult because of the attention focused on the schools-to-prison pipeline. Though this may be a worthy—and emotion-capturing— endeavor, opportunities remain wide-open to nurture the strengths of high-achieving students in a community.
Little “Darens” out there are completing their freshmen and sophomore years of high school in June. Their communities have opportunities to identify who they are and ensure that they hear (and respond to) the school-to-top national university-pipeline message.
“…the human mind is the last great unexplored continent on earth. It contains riches beyond our wildest dreams. It will return anything we want to plant.” From Earl Nightingale’s The Strangest Secret recorded in 1957.
To schedule a Million Pipeline March for Daren, his email is dwm14
In His Service,
Jason
Jason D. Mims
Lieutenant Colonel, US Army, Retired
CELL: (813) 787-0392
jason
The MIMS Institute http://www.mimsinstitute.com
Promoting academic excellence in key urban zip codes
…The fruit of LOVE is SERVICE. The fruit of SERVICE is PEACE.
Mother Teresa’s Business Card
Promotes Academic Excellence
Servant Promotes Academic Excellence 