As a star sprinter on the track team at Christ the King Preparatory School in Newark, Christopher Latonnel was recruited by numerous colleges before putting Duke University in his top two.
But Latonnel ultimately chose Rutgers University-Newark. He says the school stood apart by focusing more on his academic potential rather than his athletic prowess, admitting him to its Honors Living-Learning Community (HLLC) and awarding him a scholarship that pays for his room, board, books and fees.
“It’s been wonderful,” says Latonnel, a sophomore double-majoring in finance and economics and the first in his family to attend college. “HLLC really teaches its students that college is a two-way street. It’s okay to be close to administrators, and it’s okay to go to teachers for help. It’s okay to seek resources within campus.”
Latonnel, 19, is among 220 students ages 17 to 50 in HLLC, which began as a pilot cohort of 30 scholars in 2015. The access-and-success initiative seeks to recruit future leaders, especially those in Newark, and bring them to live and learn together within a network of academic, financial and emotional support so that they can thrive in college and graduate as societal change agents.
Dedicated to shaping “local citizens in a global world,” HLLC is an outgrowth of a 2014 strategic plan spearheaded by chancellor Dr. Nancy Cantor. Former executive vice chancellor, chief operating officer and associate professor of psychology Dr. Shirley M. Collado — who is now president of Ithaca College — developed the program, and associate professor of urban education Dr. Timothy K. Eatman became the inaugural dean in January 2016.
HLLC scholars are part of the university’s general student body – in fact, student body president Sabrina Ahmed is an HLLC scholar – but part of their special interdisciplinary curriculum is arts and humanities courses with a social justice theme. They are required to take 18 credits toward a minor in social justice, including electives and three core courses.
One requisite, Local Citizenship in a Global World, brings the full cohort of 80 students together at the same time. It is co-taught by Eatman and Dr. Mark Krasovic, associate professor of history and American studies and former interim director of the Clement A. Price Institute on Ethnicity, Culture and the Modern Experience.
