Indiana Commission for Higher Education award aims to introduce local high school students to postsecondary opportunities
Indiana University Northwest was awarded a $10,000 grant from the Indiana Commission for Higher Education, partnering with Indiana Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP). The grant funding makes possible new programming to expose high school seniors to postsecondary opportunities and assist them in completing the necessary steps for submitting college applications, securing financial aid, and achieving college success. The goal is to promote social and economic mobility by introducing students to higher education via personalized, hands-on activities with faculty and staff.
The Office of Admissions will use the funds to host 250 seniors from West Side Leadership Academy (WSLA) in Gary at a unique on-campus “Bridge to College Days Experience” in March 2022. Open to WSLA students entering the fall 2022 semester, the event will feature motivational speakers, hands-on workshops, and more. Topics to be addresses include understanding the value of a college degree, matching careers to majors, making sound financial decisions, and developing a college completion plan after high school graduation.
“College enrollment gains have been negatively impacted by the pandemic, with underrepresented students accounting for the largest declines,” said Dorothy Frink, associate vice chancellor for Enrollment Management. “This grant will show WSLA students the importance of obtaining a bachelor’s degree and provide them with the knowledge and resources they need to apply, pay for, and graduate from college.”
The Bridge to College Days Experience will be based on similar programs IU Northwest already provides to help ease the transition from high school to college. IU Northwest plans to deliver a similar on-campus program to junior high school students in January 2022. Then expand the pre-college activities to middle school students, including 21st Century Scholars, in local school corporations.
To learn more about Indiana GEAR UP, visit indianagearup.org/
About Indiana University Northwest
One of seven campuses of Indiana University, IU Northwest is located in metropolitan Northwest Indiana, approximately 30 miles southeast of Chicago and 10 miles from the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. The campus has a diverse student population of approximately 3,500 degree-seeking students and 1,800 dual-credit students and has been recognized by the Department of Education as a minority and Hispanic serving institution. The campus offers Associate, Baccalaureate and Master’s degrees in a variety of undergraduate, graduate and pre-professional degree options available from the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Health and Human Services, the School of Business and Economics, the School of the Arts and the School of Education. The campus is also host to IU School of Medicine-Northwest-Gary, which actively involves students in research and local healthcare needs through its four-year medical doctorate program. IU Northwest emphasizes high-quality teaching, faculty and student research and engagement on campus and in the community. As a student-centered campus, IU Northwest is committed to academic excellence characterized by a love of ideas and achievement in learning, discovery, creativity and engagement. Indiana University Northwest is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer committed to achieving excellence through diversity. The University actively encourages applications from women, minorities, veterans, persons with disabilities, and members of other underrepresented groups.
