The LeBron James Family Foundation is getting a permanent spot on the University of Akron campus to help ensure success for recipients of its tuition guarantees.
The foundation is launching the I Promise Institute to help students in the four-year scholarship program navigate college.
The institute will be made up of a team of educators dedicated to researching best practices, implementing academic interventions and providing around-the-clock support for the students.
The I Promise Institute will be located in InfoCision Stadium in an undeveloped space on the south end of Level 3.
“When we first started this program, I wanted my kids to graduate from high school. But the more we grow as a Foundation, the more we find can be done to give our kids the best chance to be successful,” LeBron James said in a news release. “We don’t just want our kids to get to college, we want them to graduate from college. And we want to make sure we are doing everything we can to help them do that.”
In 2011, in partnership with Akron Public Schools, the LeBron James Family Foundation began working on the high school dropout crisis in Akron and launched Wheels for Education, which expanded to the Akron I Promise network for middle school students. The programs are now serving more than 1,100 Akron-area students.
The first class of the LeBron James Family Foundation students are in the eighth grade and will graduate from high school in 2021 and arrive on the University of Akron’s campus.
The I Promise Institute will be a home base for all future Akron high school I Promise students. It is currently conducting research on resources and support programs around the country to determine the best tactics and procedures to have in place by the time the students arrive.
“The University of Akron is excited to welcome the LeBron James Family Foundation and its I Promise Institute to our campus. We are excited to support learners in the I Promise Network both before and after their matriculation into the University of Akron so that they have the opportunity to graduate from college with a four-year degree,” said interim President Matthew Wilson in reaction to the news. “The numbers show that the value of a four-year college degree has never been greater, and those who have the opportunity to earn a four-year degree must seize it. We look forward to providing Akron area learners in the I Promise Network with access to a quality four-year education that not only leads to greater career opportunities, but also that enriches individuals in our community and society as a whole.”
The LeBron James Family Foundation has established a governing board of academics from across the country, referred to as the bureau, to help oversee this research that will guide the IPI’s curriculum and interventions as it gets to the root of urban youth retention.
The bureau’s founding members include: Brandi Hephner LaBanc, Ph.D., vice chancellor for student affairs at the University of Mississippi; Paul A. Herold, former University of Akron special assistant to the president and secretary of the board of trustees; and Brian O. Hemphill, Ph.D., president of Radford University in Virginia.
The creation of the I Promise Institute is being funded by Sprite, which has worked with LeBron James since 2003, and James’ foundation.
Marilyn Miller can be reached at 330-996-3098 or mmiller@thebeaconjournal.com.