GREENEVILLE – Local high school students will experience campus life like a college student when they participate in the Upward Bound and Upward Bound Math and Science Summer Academy starting after Memorial Day at Tusculum University.
Students play a math card game at the Summer Academy in 2024.
Students work on an assignment in a laboratory in the Meen Center during the 2024 Summer Academy.
The Summer Academy, a staple of late spring and early summer at Tusculum, is a six-week program that provides active and experiential learning through classes during the day and engaging activities in the evening. The students’ time on campus culminates with artistic and scientific presentations that highlight what they learned in classes throughout their time on campus.
“We are thrilled every year to host our Upward Bound and Upward Bound Math and Science students on campus for an extended period so they can better understand the benefits of college,” said Dr. David Smith, executive director of TRIO programs at Tusculum. “These students will learn from college professors and others from the community on a wide variety of topics that will enrich their lives. The Summer Academy plays an integral role in helping these students recognize the world of potential careers that could be in their future.”
Upward Bound and Upward Bound Math and Science are federal grant programs that fall under the TRIO umbrella. These two programs serve high school students whose parents or guardians do not have a bachelor’s degree and/or are income-eligible. They offer events and activities throughout the year, all of which have the overarching goal of encouraging students to enroll in college when they graduate from high school.
The Summer Academy kicks off Tuesday, May 27, with a week of virtual classes followed by four weeks on campus. The final week includes a trip that provides participants with cultural enrichment activities that complement what they learned during their stay on campus.
Conor Fitzgerald, left, shows his poster to Raigun Duncan at the 2024 Summer Academy.
Shawny Humphreys, right, discusses her research project on ChatGPT with Dr. David Smith.
The week of virtual classes will feature topics such as writing résumés and cover letters, a behind-the-scenes tour of Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies, financial literacy and financial aid as well as an ACT boot camp. Once students arrive on campus, they will spend their mornings in class, taking a different course each week. Courses include Pop Culture as History, Introduction to Astronomy, Forensics, Biology, Leadership 101, Exploring the Southern Appalachians and Hands On Haiku.
In the afternoon, Upward Bound students will choose one of the three subjects – art, theater or research – and focus on them exclusively during their four weeks on campus. Upward Bound Math and Science students will spend their afternoons on a different subject each week during their on-campus time – the history of science, microbiology and two sessions of spectroscopy. Students will present their work to family and interested community members and Tusculum faculty, staff and students Wednesday, June 25.
Summer Academy instructional staff are members of the Tusculum faculty, area school systems and Tusculum TRIO staff.
Students who participate in the Summer Academy will have a good feel at the end for the way those in college conduct their lives. They will live in Tusculum residence halls and dine in the university cafeteria as well as be able to spend free time in The Pioneer Perk or playing on one of the beach volleyball courts. College students serve as residential assistants and residential directors to help the high school students navigate the Summer Academy and to act as mentors.
Kassidy Babler, an employee of the TRIO programs at Tusculum, teaches a class during the 2024 Summer Academy. She will teach again this year.
Shannon Elliott, an instructor of biology at Tusculum, will teach at the Summer Academy again this year.
This is the college student staff for this year’s Upward Bound and Upward Bound Math and Science Summer Academy.
“Upward Bound and Upward Bound Math and Science are excellent at letting students know that going to college can set the stage for a higher quality of life in their future,” said Dr. Scott Hummel, Tusculum’s president. “The Summer Academy is a well-designed program that helps participants be well-prepared for the rigors of college studies. These programs are a wise investment by the federal government that yields a solid short-term and long-term impact. We are proud to be connected to them.”
Further information about Upward Bound at Tusculum is available at https://site.tusculum.edu/student-success/academic-affairs/first-gen/ub/. More details about Upward Bound Math and Science can be accessed at https://site.tusculum.edu/student-success/academic-affairs/first-gen/ubms/. To learn more about the university, please visit www.tusculum.edu.