IWU Receives $999.7K Grant from Lilly Endowment for ‘Indiana Youth Programs on Campus’ Initiative

Lilly Endowment Inc. recently awarded a $999,733 grant to Indiana Wesleyan University to bring Indiana youth to the IWU-Marion campus to help them explore how higher education can be part of their future.

Lilly Endowment made the grant through Indiana Youth Programs on Campus (IYPC), an initiative designed to help colleges and universities across the state engage youth, ages 5 to 18, in high-quality on-campus enrichment programs that can help young people envision a future for themselves in college.

IWU’s strategy for bringing Indiana youth to the IWU-Marion campus has two prongs: Wildcat Academic Youth Programs and the Wildcat Incubator.

Wildcat Academic Youth Programs is a progressive educational experience for K-12 students on campus with three primary tracks:

• Wildcat Kids: Welcomes children K-4, and their caregivers, to campus to explore and learn through play. Wildcat Kids is a collaboration with WonderSpace, a local nonprofit that offers indoor pop-up play areas that facilitate learning and fun for families.
• Wildcat Jr.: Invites youth in grades 5-8 to campus to engage in hands-on learning experiences for a full day.
• Wildcat Summer Academy: Brings high school students (entering grades 9-12) for a week of immersive learning in various academic areas.

In addition to these three tracks, IWU plans to develop a menu of add-on educational experiences to offer hundreds of Indiana youth who visit our campus during the summer months in conjunction with other youth campus. These experiences will infuse students’ time on campus with rich learning that helps them envision their future academic and career pathways.

This progressive movement through the Wildcat Academic Youth Programs accounts for and allows youth to have academic experiences suited for their educational and relational development. Additional key partnerships include The Grant County Boys and Girls Club, Project Leadership, WonderSpace, and Kids Hope, which have community trust and impact underserved populations who may not otherwise consider attending college. Continued conversation and partnership with these and other community organizations will help IWU identify and work with youth populations that need it most.

The Wildcat Incubator, the second prong of IWU’s grant-funded initiative, will be established to draw together innovative thinkers across our campus and community to address the opportunity to increase Indiana youth learning experiences on campus and the numbers of Indiana youth who attend college.

“This initiative is vital because it has the power to change the lives of students and families— and consequently our communities—for generations through education,” said Stenway Louve, Director of Academic Youth Programs at IWU. “It provides unique opportunities to serve our youth in ways God calls us to as a Christian Liberal Arts Institution.”

Another unique benefit of the IYPC Initiative is its potential to contribute to the growth of the IWU-Marion campus in the long term. According to research, a prospective student is approximately six times more likely to enroll at a college that they have visited as opposed to one that they have not visited.

“The IYPC grant has the potential to be a game-changer for the IWU-Marion campus and our student recruitment efforts,” said Dr. Jim Vermilya, special assistant to the chancellor for strategic operations. “We host thousands of student visitors on our campus each year for a variety of events, but this funding will help us become more strategic in inviting K-12 students from Indiana to experience short-term academic programs throughout the year. We believe planting these seeds in the hearts and minds of young people early on in their academic career will help instill within them a vision for college in their future.”

About Indiana Wesleyan University:

Indiana Wesleyan University celebrates 100 years as a Christian, global, comprehensive university providing liberal arts and professional education to approximately 10,000 students worldwide.

IWU is one of the largest faith-based universities in America with rich undergraduate, graduate, master’s, and doctoral programs in highly acclaimed academic units such as the School of Nursing, School of Physical and Applied Sciences, College of Adult and Professional Studies, and School of Arts and Humanities.

An early leader in adult and online education, IWU is known for excellence in innovation. Students live and learn on the beautiful 350-acre IWU-Marion traditional campus and study through IWU-National & Global programs offered online and at education centers in Indiana, Kentucky, and Ohio.

Wesley Seminary at Indiana Wesleyan University, founded by the Wesleyan Church denomination and IWU, prepares Christian leaders to engage in missional ministry locally and globally. Indiana Wesleyan University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (hlcommission.org), a regional accreditation agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. It is a member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.

For more information, visit indwes.edu.