Phasing Up

The program serves students who have aged out of the foster care system and those touched by housing insecurity. Students must be enrolled as full-time undergraduates at Johnson C Smith University. To name a few of the issues these students face: homelessness (both during their undergraduate years and after graduation), under-preparedness for the academic rigor of a 4-year liberal arts collegiate program, lack of continuity in access to proper health care, and underdeveloped in the area of life skills and interpersonal skills. We also partner with our local community colleges to meet the needs of our students locally.

We know that each student is bringing a unique set of gifts, abilities, interests, and goals with them to college. One size doesn't fit all! That's why it's so important to us to elevate the personal agency and voice of every student. We offer various supportive services that we know have value to many students and rely on individuals to identify the pieces relevant to them in real-time.

*Federal Education Definition of Homelessness- Sharing the housing of others due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason; staying in motels, trailer parks, or campgrounds due to the lack of an adequate alternative; staying in shelters or transitional housing; or sleeping in cars, parks, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, or similar settings.

Phasing Up Program Goals

• Providing a mentor program for youth phasing out of foster care and touched by housing insecurity

• Increasing opportunities and options for independent living beyond the foster care system

• Increasing completion rates of post-secondary education by this unique group

• Increasing networking opportunities in the community

• Influencing policies related to this population.

The Phasing Up program is for students who:

• Are enrolled at Johnson C Smith University as an undergraduate student; and,

• Had an open foster care case at or above the age of 13; or,

• Experienced foster care at any age and show current evidence of severe and chronic deficits in familial support

• Experienced or has been touched by housing insecurity (McKinney Vento)

Program Structure

Phasing Up program participation is voluntary. To serve students with varying levels of need and to honor their agency, we have structured our program to function according to their individual needs.

Program participants are those eligible students looking for maximum program benefits. They must be admitted to Johnson C. Smith University student. They express the intention of maintaining communication with the Phasing Up Program personnel and commit to attending the program activities that are relevant to their needs. The benefits of program participation include:

regularly scheduled coaching meetings
invitations to all program seminars & events
program scholarship eligibility
have their academic progress continuously monitored to anticipate supportive interventions.

Program Admission

Join Phasing Up to New Possibilities

All eligible students wishing to engage with the Phasing Up program should submit this Program Admissions Form.* Please be prepared to share some information about your foster care history and current living/family situation. You will also be asked to write a personal statement (short essay) including your academic and/or career goals. If you have documentation verifying your Department of Child Services (DCS) case history, there is an opportunity to upload supporting documents.

Once your Phasing Up admissions form is received, you will be contacted by program staff to schedule an eligibility screening if one is needed. Program orientation occurs during the move-in week for 1st-year students or during coaching meetings as needed. Please get in touch with Affairs and Enrollment Management studentaffairs@jcsu.edu with any questions regarding program eligibility or admission to the Phasing Up to New Possibilities program.

*Please note that you must be an admitted Johnson C. Smith University student before accessing this form

Phasing Up to New Possibilities Program Thrusts

Inclusiveness: Phasing Up’s offices are located in The Davis House. This is a place of belonging, a home away from home, for Johnson C. Smith University’s most at-risk students. By providing interventions that help mitigate the impact of poverty, exclusion, and hostility based on race or other differences and chronic physical or mental stressors, we provide equity and access to higher to underrepresented students.

Holistic Support: Our model elevates student voice and experience. We respect that our students’ needs extend beyond campus, and we are deeply committed to helping them build a healthy and fulfilling life. We are rooted in The School of Social Work.

Self-Advocacy: Program participation is voluntary and student-driven. Services are not imposed. Nothing is done TO or FOR the students. Phasing Up team members work alongside them, fostering self-advocacy skills for independent living.

Growth Mindset: Our students must approach obstacles with courage and integrity. Facing difficulties is normative and not self-defining. Personal growth occurs through effort exerted over time, and all students build resilience within the safety of our program.

About the Davis House

This house- built in the Queen Ann style- was home to Dr. George E. Davis and Marie G. Davis for over 50 years. They built and moved into the home in 1895 and lived here until 1946. The two were educators who worked hard to provide educational equality for all. George was the University’s first African-American professor, and Marie was a prominent Charlotte public school principal and teacher.

Born in Wilmington, N.C., George graduated in 1883 from JCSU (then called Biddle University), and two years later, he became the school’s first African-American professor, teaching mathematics, science, and sociology until he retired in 1920 as dean of calculus. After retirement, he served as North Carolina’s agent for the Rosenwald’s Fund, building schools for African Americans. His work led to the constructing of 813 public schools across the state, with 26 in Mecklenburg County.

In 1955, the house was sold to the University and served as student housing until 1982. By 2010, the house needed significant renovations and a new purpose. Then, Dr. Ronald L. Carter, the University’s 13th President and former foster parent, started his dream for JCSU to show the nation what universities can do to help foster kids reach their full potential through education. JCSU began to secure funding through partnerships with the public and private sectors, and the ground was broken in October 2011 to restore and repurpose their beautiful building. On April 11, 2012, a ribbon-cutting ceremony was held.

Thanks to the support of neighbors, historians, and local preservationists, the restored house serves as an iconic part of the JCSU mission as well as a reminder of two beloved educators whose legacy continues to open new possibilities for our youth today.

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