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Welcome From The Dean

Welcome to the web site for the Joseph Baldwin Academy for Eminent Young Scholars. On this site you will be able to find information on the Academy and the classes that we will be offering in 2010. 


Purpose of the Academy

The Joseph Baldwin Academy offers highly talented students a head start on their future university careers by allowing them to spend three weeks as college freshmen: they move into a residence hall, adapt to living with a roommate, eat dorm food, make new friends, attend classes, and work with Truman State's faculty. We believe that many middle school and junior high students are not being challenged in the classroom in their home schools. The primary goal of the Academy is, and will always be, that our students leave with an increased appreciation for the pleasures of education, intellectual engagement, and the college experience. Along the way we expect that they will grow both academically and socially as they interact with other high-ability students from across the country.

Overview of the Academy

Truman State University created the Joseph Baldwin Academy in 1985 in order to provide the benefits of a liberal arts education to students beyond its own undergraduates. Since then the Academy has grown in size from 4 classes with 60 students to 20 classes with over 380 students in 2009. The Academy provides courses in all areas of the liberal arts, including the humanities, fine arts, natural sciences, and social sciences. All of the Academy's classes are challenging, for they are designed to be the approximate equivalent of a semester-long university course offered during the regular academic year. The faculty members of the Academy's classes structure their courses to suit the interests and abilities of the talented students who make up our student body. I have personally selected the JBA faculty members, choosing some of the most exceptional teacher-scholars among the Truman faculty.

Comments from 2009 Academy graduates: 

  • It was fun and I’m glad I took the course. 
     

  • An outstanding experience! 
     

  • I loved this course and will recommend it to anyone who wants to attend JBA. 

  • It was really good that I got to challenge myself. 
     

  • I learned things I never knew before. 
     

  • This class made me want to join my high school debate team (Advocacy and Debate:  Argument, Critical Thinking, and Persuasion).

Eligibility

Students who are currently enrolled in the 7th, 8th, or 9th grade may be nominated by their school counselor or principal if they rank in the 95th percentile of a normed exam (see Admissions on this site for details) Admissions.  If you are a student who meets these requirements and would like to attend the Academy, but have not been nominated by your home school, please contact my assistant, Jana Morton.

Important Dates

  • All nominations from principals and counselors should be postmarked no later than September 28, 2009.

  • Students who need to take the ACT must register for the December 12, 2009 test no later than November 6, 2009.

  • Students who will be taking the SAT must register by October 30, 2009 and take the SAT on or before December 5, 2009 to qualify for JBA.

  • All student applications should be postmarked no later than November 13, 2009.

Feel free to contact my assistant, Jana Morton, with any questions that you may have at jmorton@truman.edu or (660)785-5406.

With warm regards,

Dr. Kevin Minch,
Associate Professor of Communications
Dean of the Joseph Baldwin Academy