Baylor Honor Society to Host March to College Day

Media Contact: Fallon Rice, (832) 656-5807

The Baylor chapter of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars (NSCS) will host their fifth-annual March to College Day on Friday, March 23. The all-day event will bring more than 300 Waco-area high schoolers to the Baylor campus for a look at college life. Speakers at the event will include former Baylor head football coach Grant Teaff and two former Baylor and NFL athletes, Allen Rice '84 and Alfred Anderson '98.

The purpose of the day, according to Fallon Rice, an NSCS officer and coordinator of the event, is to promote higher education and inspire students to pursue their dreams. "We will have time for students to reflect on their futures and to set goals," she said, "and we'll have tips on how to create a plan of action."

Students from five different high schools will arrive on the Baylor campus at 8:45 a.m., where there will be an opening session in Barfield Drawing Room of the Bill Daniel Student Center. After a campus tour, conducted by members of Baylor's Student Foundation, groups will lunch in Fountain Mall and attend a Greek step show. In addition to talks from Teaff, Rice, and Anderson, the afternoon will feature a panel made up of current Baylor students, who will speak about their college experiences and answer questions.

There will also be representatives from more than 20 campus organizations and administrators from both McLennan Community College and Texas State Technical College, who will promote the importance of higher education.

Before the high schoolers leave at 3 p.m. they will be given T-shirts and packets containing information on college admissions, financial aid, and campus life.

The national office of NSCS--founded in Washington, D.C., in 1994--promotes the values of service, leadership, and scholarship. Baylor's NSCS chapter is the largest honor society on campus. Chartered in 2002, it boasts a membership of more than 1,000 students, who must maintain at least a 3.4 GPA in order to remain active.

In addition to March to College Day, the chapter supports a variety of service opportunities, including Habitat for Humanity, Steppin' Out, and Race for the Cure. The chapter has won a number of campus awards, including the 2003 Food For Families Food Drive and the 2004 "Break the Blood Bank" blood drive, sponsored by Alpha Phi Omega. For the last two years, Baylor's chapter has achieved gold-star status, the highest honor given by the national organization.

For more information, contact Fallon Rice at (832) 656-5807 or fallon_rice@baylor.edu.