Our university partners include the Educational Leadership and Policy Studies: Undergraduate Leadership Studies Program, The Judith Anderson Herbert Writing Center, The Frieson Black Cultural Center, The Black Cultural Program Committee, PEMP – Project Excellence Mentoring Program, the Jones Center for Leadership and Service with supports from the Office of Access and Engagement and the Office of Community Engagement and Outreach. Our community partners include UUNIK Academy, Overcoming Believer’s Church Outreach, and Project GRAD/Knox Education Foundation. 

The primary purpose of the Project Excellence Program is to empower flagship students to achieve their full potential, enhance their leadership skills, and prepare them for college and career success. We aim to expand this program to serve more students at flagship schools across the city and state and add a summer component for continuous learning and development. 

The program serves students in the 10th, 11th, and 12th grades, with each grade level cohort focusing on specific areas of development. The program design incorporates several best practices for college readiness programs, including comprehensive support, individualized guidance, ACT preparation, college application assistance, college visits and exposure, career exploration, soft skills development, leadership opportunities, college transition support, and proficiency-based assessments.