JBU expands career learning to area high school students

John Brown University in Siloam Springs will use a grant from the Walton Family Foundation to provide $294,941 to support equitable access to computer science programs and $146,870 to expand JBU’s Summer Academy career exploration programs that focus on high-demand sectors.

Both initiatives will prioritize career-connected learning for high school students from low-income backgrounds in rural and smaller school districts in Benton and Washington counties.

“Northwest Arkansas is experiencing tremendous economic growth, but not all students have equal access to the pathways that lead to high-demand careers,” said Ted Song, chief innovation officer at JBU. “JBU continues to expand as a regional connector — partnering with school districts to remove barriers to computer science education and career exploration, so that all high school students in Northwest Arkansas have an opportunity to thrive in our region’s workforce.”

JBU’s first initiative will create a 16-week online Python programming course offered each fall, allowing Northwest Arkansas high school students to earn high school and college credit. In the spring, JBU will launch a program for computer science professionals to earn a teaching certificate and become academically qualified to serve as instructors for the Python course in future semesters, expanding capacity.

The second initiative builds on nearly a decade of summer programs by expanding the capacity of JBU’s residential Summer Academy to allow high school sophomores through seniors to explore high-demand career programs, including healthcare, engineering, criminal justice, construction, sports medicine and business operations. JBU will also launch a 9th Grade Career Explorer Day program to allow younger students to sample multiple career pathways before selecting a residential track in later years. Need-based scholarships for area students will be available using an income-based sliding scale.

“Scholarship support opens doors that have been closed to too many talented students in our region,” said Ryan Ladner, JBU vice president for enrollment management. “Our summer academy can now serve students from districts and backgrounds who might have difficulty accessing career-connected learning opportunities.”