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IU to stress importance of higher education at 2001 Indiana Black Expo
July 11, 2001
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Indiana University will have one of the largest presences at one of the nation's most important celebrations of African American culture, Indiana Black Expo, where the university will showcase the educational opportunities it provides African Americans and others at eight campuses statewide.
The university is joining representatives from Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis -- which traditionally has been a strong supporter of Indiana Black Expo -- to encourage more African Americans to make college a realistic goal.
"We're going to say to participants at Indiana Black Expo that education is the engine of opportunity," said Charlie Nelms, IU vice president for student development and diversity. "We believe that Indiana University is an important aspect of making that engine run and making education a reality for more of this state's citizens."
Frank Motley, IU associate chancellor for academic support and diversity, added, "Black Expo has families coming from all across the United States. We want them to consider Indiana University when they consider high-quality, minority-sensitive and supportive institutions for their sons and daughters."
At all of its campuses, IU contributes to state efforts to increase the number of minority Indiana residents who continue their education after high school. The university provides outreach initiatives, such as Upward Bound and the Gear Up programs, which extend to middle school students. "So this is not new, it's just an opportunity for us to reach a larger number of people than we would typically reach," Nelms said.
Indiana Black Expo's Summer Celebration 2001 will begin Monday (July 16) and run through July 22 at the Indiana Convention Center and other Indianapolis locations.
The IU system and IUPUI campus each will have large exhibits that highlight the university's long tradition of providing educational opportunities for all people and its commitment to diversity. Featured will be IU's Afro-American Studies programs, which are among the nation's oldest and most active, as well as the African American Cultural Center, the African American Arts Institute and similar programs for students of other ethnic heritages.
Names for more than 130 door prizes will be drawn every 15 minutes. Among the prizes donated by university organizations and Bloomington area businesses are a weekend getaway to Bloomington with tickets to the IU-Purdue football game, gift certificates to the city's restaurants, compact discs, books and IU apparel.
A key goal will be to attract younger students to the exhibits, in order to get them thinking about and planning for college and to alert them to the many pre-college programs that IU provides. IU officials want these students to realize that a college education -- including one offered at the university's eight campuses -- is very much within their reach. More than 6,300 African Americans enrolled as students at IU's eight campuses last fall. IU's total enrollment was 93,775.
"One of the things that we want to communicate to young people is that education is possible, an Indiana University education is possible, and here is what it's going to take in order for you to be successful at a post-secondary educational institution, be that IU or anywhere else," Nelms said.
"Our communication pieces are really geared toward young learners, middle school students as well as high school students, and their parents," he said. "We're trying to increase the level of aspiration for post-secondary education and the motivation to do well in high school and middle school. If we can increase the aspiration and motivation, then we have a greater likelihood that there will be an increase in the level of matriculation in college."
One of the largest concerns for planners was that IU Bloomington and several other IU campuses had not participated in Black Expo in a few years. Nelms, Motley and others involved want others and especially the African American community to know that IU is back at Indiana Black Expo.
"This is the single largest presence Indiana University has ever had at Indiana Black Expo, and it is a coordinated, university-wide effort," Nelms said. "This is just a part of our renewed commitment to communicate with the citizens of Indiana about the value of education and the role IU can play. Beyond Indiana Black Expo, we want these students to visit our campuses and experience them for themselves."
More information on IU is available on the Web at http://www.indiana.edu and at admissions offices on its campuses. For more information about Indiana Black Expo, go to http://www.indianablackexpo.com or call 317-925-2702 or 800-897-2702.
(George Vlahakis, 812-855-0846, gvlahaki@indiana.edu)