Inquiry for Justice — a college access program for local high school students focused on the study of justice — will launch at Portland State University this summer thanks to a $300,000 Teagle Foundation Knowledge for Freedom grant.
The program includes a two-week residential experience at Portland State for 20 rising Portland Public high school seniors, with a year of programming and college application support from PSU faculty and peer mentors. With the support of their mentors, students can forge an advocate role within their Senior Inquiry classrooms in order to strengthen their action-research skills and deepen community connection.
“The transformative power of learning about justice — and injustice — in the histories of our own communities can open possibilities and strengthen the already considerable skills that young people bring to social change initiatives,” said Dr. Sarah Dougher, Senior Instructor in University Studies, who conceived the program. “The Inquiry for Justice Scholars are invited to connect ideas about justice over time and space, so that the definition can inform their own action and their activation of a shared vision of a more equitable world.”
Inquiry for Justice is designed for students who have forecasted for Senior Inquiry at their high school, and hope to enroll in college. The program is tailored for first-generation college-bound students, families with high financial need and those historically excluded from higher education. Participation in the program is free. Other benefits include a laptop to keep or a $400 scholarship; connection to the Portland State Community through mentorship and access to PSU campus resources; and planned outings and events.
The Teagle Foundation’s 42-month Knowledge for Freedom grant was awarded to Dougher and Taylor in November 2021. The Teagle Foundation works to support and strengthen liberal arts education in service of effective citizenship and meaningful lives. Its Knowledge for Freedom Programs invite underserved high school students to study and engage with literature and philosophies that raise deep questions about leading lives of purpose and civic responsibility.
“When I started teaching in the Senior Inquiry program in 2015, I realized that the potential for access was nowhere near being fully realized. It is incredibly exciting to expand the opportunities we offer our students in such a potentially meaningful way," Taylor said. "Our partnership with Teagle emphasizes the power of aligning resources with our mission and vision, for University Studies as a program and for Portland State as an institution.”
After their two weeks on campus, scholars will return for monthly programs and meetings with mentors in support of their college application process as well as workshops on continued critical engagement, college financial literacy and similar subjects.
Dougher and Taylor were cognizant of barriers to access, including that scholars may be working to help support their families — and that participation could lead to financial hardship. To ease that burden, scholars will receive a $400 stipend during their summer residency, or a laptop to keep. Books, supplies, housing and meals are also supplied by the program.
Dougher and Taylor will have been working with the Senior Inquiry teaching teams and administrators at Roosevelt and McDaniel and will begin to start recruiting students this month.
Learn more about the program, including how to apply by visiting the UNST website: https://sites.google.com/view/inquiryforjustice22-23/home