Preview Plus started as an effort to provide free transportation to Spring Preview for prospective students who might not otherwise be able to visit campus. Richard “R.W.” Hicks, the former Director of the Student Academic Services and Educational Talent Search programs, created the initiative in 1989 as a way to reach out to underprivileged students and students of color.
Referring to the cost of travel, lodging and time off work required to attend an HSU Preview weekend, Hicks says, “That’s a big chunk of money. A lot of parents can’t afford it. But without that experience, students have no idea what to expect in the fall. And the chances of them attending without knowing what to expect is slim to none.”
The program provides students with free transportation to Preview, but that’s only a small part of the services offered. Students can attend classes and participate in career development talks. To get a feel for student life, they are hosted by current HSU students. They live in the residential halls together for the weekend, giving incoming students access to a real student’s perspective and a chance to make their first friends on campus.
“I had a core of students that had similar backgrounds. They came in not knowing anything – they had to figure out all these things through trial and error,” Hicks says about the first student hosts. “It wasn’t hard finding students who said, ‘Yeah. I want to help students so they don’t have to go through what I had to go through.’”
This network of friendships and the desire to give back has been key in retaining and expanding the Preview Plus program. That extends to the alumni chaperones as well, who volunteer their time to benefit the next generation of students.
One of the very first alumni to act as a chaperone is John Proctor (’88, Liberal Arts). Proctor, who went on to be a social worker and college instructor in the L.A. area, has participated in all but two Preview Plus weekends.
“R.W. came and got me when I was in community college, and he put me on the straight and narrow,” Proctor says. “Humboldt gave me a good start. They all gave me inspiration to finish college. This is just my opportunity to give back.”
In L.A. several years ago, Proctor encountered a former HSU student, Lorna Bryant, who had attended HSU for two years in the ’80s but had not graduated. Proctor told her about Preview Plus and she was on the very next trip.
Bryant says the connections she made during Preview Plus helped her finish the journey she started years earlier.
“The one key thing that I encourage is for students to appreciate and maintain those connections they make during Preview,” she says. “These people will be with them for life and they’ll be the ones who encourage them to complete school.”
Bryant returned to HSU and completed her Broadcast Journalism degree in 2010.
The effort is a way to not only bring minority students to Humboldt, but to give them the support systems they need to complete their education here. On average, 40 percent of the Preview Plus participants enroll in the fall. And, most notably, the annual retention rate is over 60 percent, says Adrienne Colegrove-Raymond, Director of Student Academic Services Outreach and Educational Talent Search.
“By leaps and bounds, it made a huge impact on the school’s diversity,” Hicks says. Without a diverse range of voices and opinions, students can get a limited view of the world, he says, so programs like Preview Plus provide a benefit beyond the students it reaches directly.
Devona Foy (’08, Social Work), a student participant, was hesitant to commit to attending HSU. It was far from home and a completely different community than she was familiar with in Southern California. However, after attending Preview Plus, Foy not only attended HSU, but became actively involved in several student organizations. After earning her degree, Foy continued to participate at HSU as a Preview Plus chaperone.
“I had a lot of great experiences,” Foy says of Preview Plus. “It’s very important for enrollment, especially for reaching out to minority students. It makes you want to give back.”