Bethune-Cookman University’s summer camps are selling out quickly, with its band camp already sold out, amidst a nationwide surge in interest in Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
Sherry Paramore, Vice President of Institutional Advancement at B-CU said she’s excited that more students and families are choosing to attend the summer camps.
She said these summer camps act as a pipeline for future students, many of which are the first-generation in their family to attend college.
“And not only do they get to just come for a tour, but they experience college life like get a taste of what it will be when you attend Bethune Cookman and I speak that into existence, because, you know, again, this is pipeline building,” Paramore said.
Paramore said that students get the full HBCU experience on campus.
“I mean, we've had students on campus from Argentina this year. And so just the fact that you get to develop new social skills, meet new people, build relationships, that's really important. And again, that's what our HBCUs will help with,” Paramore said.
Along with a sold-out band camp, Nike will host a basketball camp for boys ages 7 to 15 at the school. And a Robotics Academy camp, will provide STEM mentoring and research opportunities for underrepresented students in the field.
In April, B-CU announced some impressive enrollment statistics: an almost 9% increase in applications, and a 74% increase in students committed to attend the university compared with last year.
Since the pandemic, more students across the country have been choosing to attend HBCUs and Christian colleges.
Experts point to a number of factors for this upward trend in applications and enrollment at these schools, including:
- affordability
- small school and class size
- more mentorship and career development opportunities
- the chance to attend a school that aligns with a student’s personal or religious values including that of social justice
Learn more about B-CU's summer camps by clicking here.
