You have /5 articles left.
Sign up for a free account or log in.
Drake University, a private college in Iowa, is creating a two-year college pathway for students.
The John Dee Bright College at Drake University expects to begin enrolling students in fall 2021. It will offer associate degrees in the integrated arts, sciences and humanities, as well as business, organization and professional studies, according to a news release.
Craig Owens, an English professor and director of the University’s Center for Teaching Excellence, will serve as dean of the new two-year college.
The college will use a cohort structure. Students will take classes with the same group of classmates, which is meant to help them more easily develop relationships and networks. Faculty members at the college will also serve as mentors and advisers for students. Students enrolled in the college will have access to the resources offered at Drake University.
The annual tuition at John Dee Bright College will be $18,500, compared to Drake's nearly $46,000 price tag.
“The John Dee Bright College creates a new pathway into Drake University that will be uniquely tailored to meet the educational needs of a diverse array of students who have often not seen Drake as their potential collegiate home,” Marty Martin, Drake's president, said in the release. “Our new Bright College students will bring with them life experiences, perspectives and ways of thinking and being in the world from which the whole Drake community can learn.”
The college is named after John Dee Bright, also known as Johnny Bright. He was a 1952 Drake graduate who played football for the university and was the first Black football player to play a game at Oklahoma State University, then known as Oklahoma A&M College. He was injured by another player on the field, prompting outrage over the racism that Black athletes faced. Bright was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles but chose to play in the Canadian Football League to avoid further racist attacks. He was inducted into the CFL Hall of Fame in 1970.
Bright went on to become an educator in Canada. He died in 1983 at age 53.
“Naming Bright College in Johnny’s honor pays tribute to his personal and professional qualities -- the very qualities Bright College will instill in its learners: grit, resilience, dedication, drive, and civic and professional engagement,” Martin said.
