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JACKSON, Tenn. — Oct. 22, 2015 — 51���� will host sixth-grade students on Saturday, Oct. 24, for the kickoff of MentorU, a new program that matches local sixth graders with mentors from Jackson’s colleges and universities.

The MentorU program is a collaboration between all five higher education institutions in Jackson – Jackson State Community College, Lane College, Tennessee College of Applied Technology, University of Memphis Lambuth and Union. The program is designed to help the sixth graders consider future college and career opportunities.

“Sixth grade is when some young people’s views of their future start to diminish,” Union President Samuel W. “Dub” Oliver said. “The idea is to catch these sixth graders at a moment when we can encourage them to pursue college. The ultimate idea is to lift young students’ aspirations about college attainment in Jackson and Madison County. We know that the earlier we can intervene, the better.”

Students, faculty and staff from each of the five colleges will serve as one-on-one mentors to the sixth grade students, who have been selected with input from the Jackson-Madison County School System. The mentors will meet with their sixth graders every other week at North Parkway Middle School, and the five colleges will take turns hosting the group for monthly “campus days.”

Thirty-five students from North Parkway Middle School have been invited to participate in the program. The first campus day at Union will allow the mentors and the mentees to get acquainted. Representatives from Union’s engineering, social work and biology programs will make presentations throughout the day to give the students an idea of the opportunities available to them in the various programs.

“Union is known for its service in the community, so this is a way for us to extend and advance that,” Oliver said of Mentor U. “It’s the first program that I’m aware of that involves all of the higher education institutions together doing something for Jackson. Our collaboration is something that can be very powerful for the community.”

A steering committee consisting of representatives from the five colleges and the Jackson-Madison County School System has been meeting for about a year to plan and organize the program.

Jeff Sisk, director of the Tennessee College of Applied Technology in Jackson, said it was exciting to see all the higher education institutions in Jackson involved in the MentorU initiative.

“I believe that higher education is the key to success in life,” Sisk said. “Our young people need to be introduced to higher education options and be encouraged to pursue that path. Who better to help them with this than the students, staff and faculty at our local higher education institutions?”