The Brandeis Liberal Arts Posse program, part of the nationwide Posse Foundation dedicated to preparing exceptional students for college, will resume in 2011 after a year-long hiatus. Eleven high school seniors from Atlanta were selected for the program in Dec. 2010 and will be on campus this semester, according to Dean of Academic Services and Posse Foundation Liaison Kim Godsoe.Due to budgetary constraints, the Liberal Arts Posse program was suspended in fall 2009, according to an Aug. 31, 2010 Justice article.

Then-University President Jehuda Reinharz announced in an Aug. 25 campuswide e-mail on that the program would be able to return due to donations from several anonymous donors.

Godsoe, in an e-mail to the Justice, wrote about the return of a program that she believes is very valuable to the Brandeis community.

"The return of Liberal Arts Posse means many wonderful things for our community. Posse Scholars are selected for their leadership skills, and it is a very, very competitive selection process-less than 10% of students who are nominated for this honor are chosen," wrote Godsoe.

Godsoe added that students at Brandeis who have received the Posse scholarship in past years are all active in many aspects of campus life as Community Advisors, Student Union representatives and Intercultural Center leaders, for example.

According to its website, the Posse Foundation was founded in 1989, and since that time, over $334 million has been awarded in scholarships by the foundation's university partners. All students admitted to the Liberal Arts Posse program receive a four-year, full-tuition scholarship.

High school students selected for the Posse program are trained throughout the second half of their senior year of high school to further develop their leadership skills, communication skills and problem-solving skills.

Godsoe wrote, however, that it is important to remember that students selected for the Liberal Arts Posse program are already very accomplished and capable people.

"Posse students, whether from Atlanta or New York, are already very prepared for college. They are often the valedictorian or salutatorian of their class, have won many academic awards and community awards, and are recognized leaders in their schools and communities."

Godsoe wrote that, as was the case with most other colleges and universities around the country, many difficult financial decisions had to be made during the recent economic downturn.

"Posse is a very valuable program to the University, but also a very expensive program. It was heartbreaking to have to suspend it for a year, but Reinharz was instrumental in raising the funds so the program could be reinstated," wrote Godsoe.

"[University] President [Frederick] Lawrence also cares greatly about the program, and he is working with prospective donors to ensure that it continues at Brandeis," Godsoe wrote.

According to a Dec. 14, 2010 article in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, President Barack Obama also donated a portion of his $1.4 million Nobel Peace Prize Award to the Posse Foundation last year.

The Brandeis Liberal Arts Posse program came to campus in fall 1998, and the first Science Posse arrived at Brandeis in fall 2008.

Godsoe praised the next group of Posse students, writing that the scholars from Atlanta are "absolutely fantastic."She also added that most universities with two Posse groups on campus select students from two different cities, and the reinstatement of the program this year gave Brandeis the opportunity to be a "dual city campus."

Godsoe wrote, "While the University is very well known and respected in many parts of the country, it is less known in the south. This was an opportunity to help Brandeis become a household name in all regions of the U.S.