Awards

IU Historical Marker - 2020

About Groups Scholars Program

Indiana University dedicated a historical marker in 2020 about the Groups Scholars Program. The marker text follows:

"In a society that fostered so much oppression of the Negro, the obligation to remove the barriers to immediate and full social participation is heavy and demanding."

The Groups Scholars Program (formerly the Groups Student Support Services Program) was formed during the civil rights movement in 1968 with the twin goals of recruiting disadvantaged students and supporting their completion of degrees. This comprehensive program offered intellectual, social, and financial support to address the multiple factors contributing to student success in higher education. Collaborative efforts between IU’s Junior division on the Bloomington and regional campuses championed recruitment of African American and Latino students from Gary and East Chicago to attend the flagship campus in Bloomington. After a year, recruitment expanded to the entire state. Federal legislation, administrative support, and student activism contributed to the program’s growth from a pilot involving 43 students in 1968 to serve nearly 13,000 historically underrepresented and first-generation students during the Groups Scholars Program first 50 years.