A Responsive Institution
To continue moving forward, USI must have the resources to grow its programs, facilities, and financial resources for the benefit of students. In a world of heightened competition and global interdependence, a vibrant university spurs economic development - and impacts countless lives along the way. Increasing scholarships, opportunities for experiential learning, enhancing academic excellence, and engaging the community will deepen USI's investment in these endeavors.
USI's compelling story reveals the remarkable achievement possible when highly committed individuals support a common cause.
The Here & Now Fund, formerly known as the Annual Fund, is the USI Foundation’s structure to provide direct and immediate assistance to our students and programs. Throughout the academic year, we must be ready to respond swiftly to urgent needs that go beyond the projected, budgeted items. Gifts to the Here & Now Fund enrich the student experience here and now because unrestricted gifts turn challenge into opportunity.
Examples of unrestricted investments include:
- Student travel due to advancement in national and global competitions
- Scholarships and tuition assistance for students facing extreme financial hardship
- Innovative technology needed to enhance academic programs
- Resources for advanced student research and presentation of faculty research
- Tools for engaging with the community in ways that improve student learning.
Romain College of Business
Investments in the Romain College of Business support academic programs dedicated to innovation and excellence in learning. The College focuses on providing a wide range of opportunities for students to develop key skills, establish networks, and engage in learning inside and outside the classroom. Today's business students are tomorrow's professionals. Highlights of the Romain College of Business include:
- Innovative Speaker Series
- Entrepreneurial Initiatives
- Accounting Circle
- Strategic Social Media Lab
College of Liberal Arts
Contributions to the College of Liberal Arts help turn creative dreams into reality. Liberal Arts students need an environment that encourages artistic thought and expression - either it be in a studio, through social science research, literature, or performing arts. Gifts support a variety of quality programs and services such as:
- Philip H. Hagemann Performing Arts Department
- Scripps Howard Center for Media Studies
- Southern Indiana Review
- McCutchan Art Center/Pace Galleries
Kinney College of Nursing and Health Professions
The Kinney College of Nursing and Health Professions prepares students for nursing and nurse practitioner careers and for careers in the health professions. Gifts to the College help make possible additional training and clinical opportunities for faculty, academic program enhancements for students, and community-oriented health programs. The College continues to be a leader in health education because of these valuable programs:
- Bronstein Center for Healthy Aging and Wellness
- Interprofessional education among academic programs
- Center for Health Professions Lifelong Learning
- Clinical Simulation Center
- Southwest Indiana Area Health Education Center
Pott College of Science, Engineering, and Education
The Pott College of Science, Engineering, and Education prepares students for careers in medicine and dentistry, mathematics, teaching, medical research, and engineering. Gifts to the College enable students and faculty to do applied research and to gain valuable skills at professional conferences. The Pott College of Science, Engineering, and Education makes advancements in research and higher education due to a variety of top-notch initiatives:
- Pre-Professional Studies, such as medicine, optometry, and veterinary
- Teach Now Transform Tomorrow, a full-year clinical internship program for education majors
- Applied Engineering Center
School of Graduate Studies
As record levels of graduate enrollment are achieved at USI, your support will assist students working to become experts in their respective fields. Gifts to Graduate Studies foster an enriched learning environment and nurture the growth and development of USI’s master’s and doctoral programs.
USI Society for Arts & Humanities
The USI Society for Arts and Humanities enriches the programs of the College of Liberal Arts and provides communication between the community and USI’s various art activities. In nurturing these relationships, the Society funds scholarships and provides support for innovative student development opportunities. Gifts have been used to enhance student research opportunities, travel to conferences, museums, concerts and exhibits, as well as film festivals.
New Harmony
A community that began over two hundred years ahead of its time, New Harmony was first a spiritual sanctuary that later became a haven for international scientists, scholars, and educators who sought equality in communal living. Today, USI provides support to three programs that operate in New Harmony:
- Historic New Harmony: Historic New Harmony inspires “renewal and fellowship between people and communities” through its programs and collections. This work nurtures a “living laboratory” by encouraging cultural and educational programs, while maintaining preservation of historic properties.
- New Harmony Gallery of Contemporary Art: Established in 1975, the gallery provides a professional exhibition environment for artists and enhances the awareness of contemporary art.
A gift to these programs encourages cultural awareness and research, provides the region with exceptional art, culture and recreation, as well as the preservation of historic properties and documents.
Historic Southern Indiana
Historic Southern Indiana, a heritage-based regional outreach program of USI, seeks to identify, preserve, enhance, and promote the historic, natural, and recreational resources of the 26-county region below or traversed by U.S. Highway 50. As a community outreach program, Historic Southern Indiana hosts workshops, produces publications, conducts visitor research, and coordinates with many groups to create a sense of regional identity and pride.
Screaming Eagles Varsity Club
The USI Varsity Club knows every athletic championship begins with scholarships. To recruit and graduate the highest caliber student athletes for USI intercollegiate sports, scholarship funds must be available. 100% of the gifts received from individuals to join the USI Varsity club go directly to athletic scholarships. The club's primary goal - in partnership with the University - is to fully fund scholarships between what USI is legally allowed to award by the NCAA and its actual capacity to do so.
Direct Support to 19 Varsity Division I Teams
Alumni, friends and fans of USI Athletics can also make a gift to any of the athletic programs sponsored by USI. Gifts support the development of excellence in USI intercollegiate athletics by providing team travel, uniforms, lodging, equipment and recruiting.
Financial barriers to higher education are very real. Although USI offers the lowest tuition of any four-year public institution in Indiana, higher education is still out of reach for many potential students. Many USI students are working full-time or supporting families and need access to scholarships and other forms of financial aid to realize their dreams.
Establishing an endowed scholarship produces a perpetual yearly distribution in the form of a scholarship. The USI Foundation recommends a minimum gift of $25,000 to establish an endowed scholarship. Endowed scholarship can be funded at one time or up to a five-year period. The name and criteria of the scholarship endowment are at the discretion of the donor.
Friends and alumni who provide scholarships have the opportunity to interact with their scholarship recipients at an annual luncheon hosted by the USI Foundation.