An Academic-Based Leadership Development Program

Along with the liberal arts education provided at Regis, several centers and institutes are supported by the University. Operated under the University's 501(c)(3) umbrella, the Porter-Billups Leadership Academy (PBLA) is one of the Regis centers that offers programs to meet the cultural, economic, environmental, social and urban challenges locally. Founded in 1996 by Regis' longtime men's basketball coach, Lonnie Porter, PBLA is the flagship of college prep programs at the University. ​ The three-week Academy is held each summer on the University's main campus in northwest Denver, Colorado. Academy students, who are about to enter grades 4 through 12, receive preparation to become leaders among their peers and gain the skills to prepare them for college. Students who successfully complete seven years of the Academy and qualify for admittance, are provided scholarships for tuition and fees to Regis University. 

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Since 1996, the Porter-Billups Leadership Academy has been held at Regis University's main campus in northwest Denver. The location has proven to be important over the years, providing students with ongoing exposure to a college campus each summer so they are comfortable once they are ready to attend themselves.

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As the University's flagship college prep program, scholarships up to full tuition to Regis are available to PBLA graduates once they successfully complete the multi-year participation requirement and qualify for admittance. Since the first PBLA college-eligible class in 2002, a total of 68 PBLA alumni have graduated from college with 33 of those students graduating  from Regis University.

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PBLA believes in educating the whole child and provides instruction in leadership, the arts and outdoor education in addition to financial literacy, communication and computer skills training. Leadership and enrichment classes range in the topics of the following: