WATERVILLE, MAINE, August 2024 — Thomas College is celebrating 15 years of its Early Start program and will serve its 1000th student as part of the incoming cohort this month.
Early Start is an 11-day intensive experience for a select group of incoming students who move onto campus and complete a three-credit course before regular fall classes begin. When students are not in class, they’re participating in workshops and activities to help them become successful once the fall semester begins.
Fifty-nine students from the incoming class will arrive on August 21 for this year’s Early Start program to complete courses in Biology, Criminal Justice, and Business.
This program is offered at no charge to selected students and helps build their community and decrease the stress of attending college.
“Early Start students are more likely to return after their first year and more likely to graduate on time,” says Thomas College Senior VP of Student Success Debbie Cunningham.
Cunningham, who helped launch the Early Start program 15 years ago, says she had no idea it would be thriving this many years later. She’s so happy it is.
The program began in 2010 with 23 students and one academic course. Staff and resources were much more limited then, and Cunningham was able to make it possible thanks to a grant from the Council of Independent Colleges and Walmart to increase the success of first-generation college students – and thanks to some very committed faculty and staff.
Cunningham thought the program would be a good fit at Thomas College because she had witnessed successful summer bridge programs at other colleges and had also taught at schools with intensive programs and had seen the positive impact on students.
A couple years after the program launched, with a waitlist of students and high retention rates, the Board of Trustees expanded the program and hired additional staff. And in 2012, Thomas College received supplemental funding from the Harold Alfond Foundation and was recognized by the College Board with a CollegeKeys Compact Innovation Award.
“Early Start is one of the most powerful educational experiences I’ve ever witnessed,” said Thomas College Provost Thomas Edwards, who worked alongside Cunningham in 2010 to launch the program.
Hailey Mealey, the current Early Start Coordinator, who oversees leading the program each year – everything from recruiting to scheduling and event management – agrees.
“I love the confidence that students walk away with after Early Start. Most of the incoming students I work with report that they are worried about meeting new people, keeping up with the demands of college courses, and being in a new environment – things that I think any college student would worry about before their first year. And every year, I watch these same students walk into their first semester with confidence that they will succeed,” says Mealey.
Katie (Brown) Wood, who was a part of the first Early Start cohort, says the program set her up for success at Thomas College and into her professional career. She is currently a Regional Director with JMG.
“As a quiet, first-generation student, it would have been easy for me to shy away from new experiences,” said Wood. “The support and confidence I gained from that one-week program truly changed my college pathway and has led to my professional success. Meeting my best friend during the first hour of the program was a bonus!”
Cunningham says one of the reasons the program is so successful is because of the faculty: “It’s so important to have engaged, committed, and creative faculty. It’s a lot to teach all day and grade all night. It’s really hard to beat that passion in the classroom.”
Thomas College Associate Professor of Science Allison Moloney is a regular Early Start instructor.
“Early Start is special because it is designed so intentionally to support the transition of incoming college students,” said Moloney. “Also, Early Start is just fun! When we have five days together in the same class, we have to mix things up to make it interesting and keep ourselves engaged. I always bring my A game when designing an Early Start class to make sure we stay entertained and energized while we are learning.”
The impact and support of the Early Start program does not end after the 11 days, though.
Mealey says, “After Early Start, I continue to work with many of our students throughout the school year and I am always impressed with their openness to seek support and find opportunities that can move them closer to their goals. Early Start helps students set a foundation for success, and they’ll be able to build on that foundation throughout their time at Thomas College.”
Cunningham is proud of the results over the 15 years of the early start program.
“The students. The faculty. The results. They are all amazing. And I’m proud of the Thomas College community for rallying around this program and making it successful as a distinctive part of the Thomas experience,” she said.
Thomas College would like to thank its funders for the Early Start program throughout the 15 years including Walmart, Council of Independent Colleges, TD Charitable, the Harold Alfond Foundation, and Davis Family Foundation.
About Thomas College:
U.S. News and World Report consistently ranks Thomas College as a top college in Maine for social mobility. Our clear career focus and one-of-a-kind Guaranteed Job Program™ makes it possible to advance faster in the arts and sciences, business, and education. Earn an undergraduate degree in three years and then choose from a variety of in-person or online graduate degree programs that can be completed in one-year or two. Located in Waterville, Maine, Thomas College is your pathway to a promising future, guaranteed. For more information visit thomas.edu or contact MacKenzie Riley Young at [email protected] or 207-859-1313. Find us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, and TikTok.