Hello, Upward Bound students and families.
Congratulations on another successful summer! The things you've learned and taught each other this past summer are sure to leave a meaningful impact. This summer, 77 amazing students from Indianapolis participated in and completed the Upward Bound Summer Academy. In addition, you helped to host other Upward Bound programs from across the state in the competitive Olympiad. In fact, I heard that IUPUI took first place in the Academic Bowl—no small feat for sure.
Twenty-four of you earned college credit for taking anthropology or speech, meaning you've already begun your degree and are one step closer to being a college graduate. Seventeen of you completed on-campus internships, and I even heard two of you worked with the neuroscience department and got to dissect rats and observe surgeries!
Upward Bound is a college readiness program, but I'm sure by now, whether this was your first year or your last, you've realized that it's also much more than that. It's a strong community of students who support each other. It’s a family of caring and selfless staff who spend countless hours, nights, and weekends doing whatever it takes to create amazing experiences for you, both in the summer and during the school year. And most importantly, it’s a chance to learn about yourself and to confirm that you are able—you are able to do whatever your heart desires in life, and no one can take that from you.
Before I sign off, I want to say thank you. Thank you to the families for getting your students involved in Upward Bound and for getting them to campus and programming. Thank you to the mentors, teachers, and staff of Upward Bound for your leadership and dedication. And thank you, students, for spending your summer here with us. You likely had other things that you considered doing this summer, but you made a commitment to your Upward Bound family and stuck with it. I look forward to seeing many of you again next summer—and if you are a rising senior, maybe we will see you at orientation in a year as a new IUPUI Jaguar!
Have a wonderful school year!
James M. Gladden, Ph.D.
Associate Vice Chancellor for Undergraduate Education
Dean of University College
IUPUI