New Faces in Leadership
For the Campus. For the City. For the Future.

Act Six is a leadership and scholarship initiative of the Memphis Leadership Foundation and Crichton College that equips emerging urban leaders to engage the college campus and their communities at home.

The Need

Urban Memphis is a place of wonderful cultural and economic diversity where people from different backgrounds, perspectives, and life experiences have regular opportunities to interact and communicate. It is also a place yearning for new generations of committed, visionary leaders who will build bridges across differences and respond creatively to the pressing challenges in our communities.

Unfortunately, too few of the colleges working to prepare these emerging leaders provide similarly diverse campus environments and too many potential campus and urban leaders face significant obstacles on the journey to a college degree.  People of color are still underrepresented in higher education and there remain significant disparities in college retention rates for students from different cultural and economic backgrounds. The Act Six Initiative was created in response to these concerns.

The Vision

Act Six believes that emerging urban leaders, with the right opportunity, support and inspiration, can combine their natural gifts and passion with a college education to create a new kind of bold, visionary leadership that will transform our campuses, our city and our collective future.

Marks of Success

The Act Six was developed and first launched in Tacoma, WA as a partnership between the Northwest Leadership Foundation and Whitworth College.  After 5 years, the Tacoma program has sent 41 students to Whitworth.  Representing six continents of the world, they speak 13 native languages.  More than 67% are the first in their family to go to college and nearly 80% come from low-income families.  An astounding 97% of the scholars who started the program are still enrolled at Whitworth.

In Memphis, we're experiencing similar success having sent 17 scholars to campus in two cadres with 94% still enrolled and active on campus and in their community.  Three-quarters of these students are the first in their families to go to college.

On campus, Act Six scholars are making a profound impact as they demonstrate their leadership across their colleges.  Creating award winning programs in the residence halls, founding and leading clubs and even serving as student government President, scholars are making a difference.  And as all 11 of the scholars originally selected in the first Tacoma cadre head toward graduation after four years in spring 2007, most are looking to bring their passion and education back to their home community. 

Learn More

• Get to know the staff and organizational partners that make Memphis Act Six work.
• Read about the success of the National Act Six Initiative in other cities around the country.