Options through Education renamed McCrory-Francis Scholars Program
Options through Education (OTE), a Boston College summer enrichment program for students who have overcome significant economic or educational disadvantages, will be renamed the McCrory-Francis Scholars Program in honor of two prominent alumni, Floyd McCrory ’77, P’04, and Keith Francis ’76, P’10, ’14, who were committed to enhancing access and opportunity for AHANA students at BC.
Keith Francis and Floyd McCrory
Vice President and Pine Manor Institute Executive Director Joy Moore, who conceived the change, said the program will continue to invite accepted first-year students to attend a seven-week summer session on the Chestnut Hill Campus and provide them with support throughout their four years. The new name, Moore said, will pay tribute to two graduates whose commitment helped improve student diversity at Boston College. McCrory died in 2022, Francis in 2011.
“Floyd McCrory was a proud Boston College alumnus and member of the Alumni Association’s Board of Directors who was tireless in his efforts to help AHANA students attend BC,” said Moore. “He died young, but his life serves as a fitting example for our students to follow.
“Keith Francis was a well-respected student and gifted student-athlete who is considered BC’s all-time greatest track and field star. As an undergraduate and later a BC Trustee, he was equally dedicated to enhancing the college experience for students of color. Keith also died far too young, but he continues to serve as an inspiration and role model for today’s students.”
Joy Moore (Lee Pellegrini)
Moore said that renaming OTE after two alumni who were student leaders in the then-titled Boston College Black Talent Program, and adding “scholars” to the title, amplifies the strength of the program and the talents of the students who are selected to attend.
“The McCrory-Francis Scholars Program is an appropriate next step in the long and evolving history of AHANA and first-generation student enrollment at Boston College,” said Moore. “OTE has provided academic support, guidance, and encouragement to BC students during the last 45 years. It is time to launch the next chapter in BC’s history with a new name and enhanced academic programming, reflective of the caliber of student we are attracting.”
OTE was launched in 1979 by the former Office of AHANA Student Programs as an academic support program for a racially diverse group of 35-40 first-year students with demonstrated “determination, leadership, talent, and potential.” Its summer classes in English and math helped students prepare for the rigors of the BC curriculum, while familiarizing them with the campus and its academic support resources.
With the creation of BC’s Pine Manor Institute for Student Success in 2020, OTE, Learning to Learn, BC First, and the McNair Scholars Program were placed under the Pine Manor Institute’s umbrella, along with new initiatives Messina College and The Academy for students in grades 8-12. Renaming OTE as the McCrory-Francis Scholars Program is another strategic move to advance BC’s longstanding and highly successful academic support programs.
Steve Pemberton (Lee Pellegrini)
BC Trustee Associate Steve Pemberton ’89, H’15, M.S.’19, who was responsible for helping to admit the OTE class during his years as an assistant director of Undergraduate Admission at BC, said that naming the McCrory-Francis Scholars Program after Floyd McCrory and Keith Francis is an ideal way to honor two exceptional alumni whose volunteer work helped make BC’s present day diverse student body possible.
“I grew up in New Bedford, Mass., where Keith was a track and field legend, and got to know and work with him and Floyd during my time in Admissions,” said Pemberton. “They both worked in Washington, D.C., after graduating from Boston College and would organize bus trips for AHANA students who lived in the D.C. area so they could visit BC and get a sense of the possibilities that a college education offered. They were pioneers in the effort to enhance diversity at BC and are most deserving of this recognition.”
Added John Mahoney ’79, M.A.T ’85, who retired last year as vice provost for enrollment management at Boston College, “Floyd and Keith saw a commitment to AHANA student recruitment in the Admission Office and decided as young alumni to devote themselves to it. Through the D.C. Bus Rides, as they were called, they worked with Undergraduate Admission staff Richard Escobar and later Steve Pemberton to identify 35-40 predominately Black high school juniors who were interested in attending a highly selective university and organized an annual fall visit, which was funded by our office. During the four-day visit, the prospective students lived in the residence halls with host students, attended classes and presentations, and took in a football game before returning to their homes in Washington, D.C. Through their efforts, they provided an invaluable service for high school students that was not available to them when they themselves were applying to college.”
Moore said that the number of McCrory-Francis Scholars will remain at its present enrollment of 20-25 annually, due in part to the increasing number of first generation and financially challenged students Boston College attracts through QuestBridge, a non-profit program that helps high-achieving, underserved students earn admission and scholarships to 52 of the nation’s best colleges and universities, and Messina College, a residential, two-year associate’s degree program for first-generation students, which opened this summer.
This year, Boston College enrolled more than 130 QuestBridge Scholars, placing second among the 52 members in the number of National College Match students enrolled, while Messina College welcomed 110 students in its inaugural class.
“Given the growing number of students served by these new initiatives, some adjustments to existing programs were necessary,” said Moore. “We are successfully attracting talented students from diverse backgrounds to all our programs and generating excitement and enthusiasm in the process. Boston College is making bold moves and backing them up with resources.”