Bridgewater College offers summer program for local high school students

Bridgewater College announces the receipt of a $300,000 grant from The Teagle Foundation to launch a new summer institute for underserved local high school students.

Bridgewater’s Future Scholars Institute will give rising juniors and seniors the opportunity to experience campus life for two weeks and earn two college credits. The institute will be led by BC faculty and focus on the relationship between individual freedom and the public good. The program will be held on the BC campus from July 13 to 26, 2025, and is free to participating students.

“We feel very fortunate to be able to offer the program participants a chance to jump-start their own scholarly journey as they grapple with timeless issues related to the balancing of individual rights and public responsibilities,” Dr. Jeffrey Pierson, BC dean for graduate and special programs, said.

Participating high school students will live on campus and enroll in an interdisciplinary course designed to explore questions about freedom, democracy and government. Students will read and discuss texts ranging from John Locke’s political essay “Two Treatises of Government” (1689) to Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” (1963) to Robert Putnam’s nonfiction book “Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community” (2000). A visit to Washington, D.C., is included in the course to help students connect historical and contemporary struggles for freedom.

The summer program is open to high school students in the Classes of 2026 and 2027 who live in Augusta, Page and Rockingham counties; the cities of Harrisonburg, Waynesboro and Staunton; and Pendleton County, W.Va. Admissions preference will be given to students who would benefit from additional support in understanding the American college experience, such as first-generation college applicants, low-income students and students from underrepresented minority groups.

“This program is more than just an academic experience — it’s a chance for students to live and learn like college students. Beyond the classroom discussions on individual freedom and public responsibility, we hope to help students feel more prepared for the college application process and for the challenges of higher education. Through the Future Scholars Institute, they will gain both the intellectual skills and the confidence they’ll need to succeed in college and beyond,” said Ben Erickson, director of community engagement.

The Future Scholars Institute is funded by a grant from The Teagle Foundation, a New York-based philanthropic organization that supports the liberal arts in higher education. The institute is part of the foundation’s Knowledge for Freedom program.

“The Teagle Foundation is delighted to partner with Bridgewater College,” said Teagle president Andrew Delbanco. “We are thrilled that young people from the local community will be introduced to the mind-opening college experience under the guidance of Bridgewater faculty.”

More information and applications are available online. Up to 30 students will be selected to participate and will be notified in early spring.

Founded in 1880, Bridgewater College is a private, four-year liberal arts college in the Central Shenandoah Valley. Bridgewater College is home to approximately 1,450 students pursuing degrees in more than 60 undergraduate majors and minors, and four graduate programs housed within three distinct schools.