Last modified: Thursday, October 18, 2012
IU Bloomington announces new director of its 21st Century Scholars Program
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Oct. 18, 2012
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Jim Gibson is the new director of the 21st Century Scholars Program at Indiana University Bloomington.
The 21st Century Scholars program, administered by the Office of Mentoring Services and Leadership Development, provides students with a wide variety of support activities and services, including academic tutoring, peer mentoring and workshops covering topics such as financial aid and overseas study.
It also connects scholars with other programs and services throughout the campus, with the ultimate goal of helping them be successful students at IU.
The state of Indiana created the 21st Century Scholars Program in 1990 to ensure that every student can afford a college education. Income-eligible seventh- and eighth-graders who enroll in the program and fulfill a pledge of good citizenship are guaranteed to receive up to four years of undergraduate tuition at any participating public college or university in Indiana.
"Jim comes to our program with a high level of enthusiasm, energy and zeal for serving students. In addition, he has a great deal of experience that will lend itself to his position as director," said Patrick Smith, director of the Office of Mentoring Services and Leadership Development. "We all look forward to Jim's contributions."
Gibson has been a part of the IU Bloomington community since 1991, when he began serving as assistant dean of students and as director of student activities. He has served in other administrative leadership roles across campus, most recently as academic advisor for the departments of sociology and political science in the IU College of Arts and Sciences.
Gibson has taught in the Kelley School of Business and the IU School of Education at both the undergraduate and graduate level. Before coming to IU, he was an assistant dean of students at Denison University and began his career at Hartwick College as the coordinator of Greek life.
He has a master's degree in higher education administration from Morehead State University. He graduated cum laude from Wilmington College of Ohio with a bachelor's degree in political science and literature. While at Wilmington, he also served as part of the admissions office and residence life staff and was a member of the men's basketball team.
He has been a featured speaker at leadership conferences across the country with presentations on personal development topics such as identifying leadership styles, assertiveness training, male-female relationships, combatting homophobia, and creating and managing change. He is a recipient of the Association of Fraternity Advisors national award for Creative and Innovative Programming. In December 2010, he received the Professional Staff Merit Award at IU Bloomington.
