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Summer Programs

Truman offers a number of valuable enrichment programs during the summer months. There are also a number of exciting learning opportunities available throughout the year. These programs target a range of different student interests and needs.

Summer Programs Currently Offered By the Truman Institute

The Joseph Baldwin Academy for Eminent Young Scholars: Now in its 28th year, the Joseph Baldwin Academy offers a 3-week pre-college experience for gifted students in the summers following their 7th, 8th, and 9th grade years. The program is competitive and draws participants from around the country to take one of 22 possible courses offered across two sessions in June and July. For more information, click here.
- Watch this video for a preview of the Joseph Baldwin Academy.
A Taste of Truman: Approaching its fourth year, the Taste of Truman is an opportunity for alumni, community members, and other eager adult learners to capture (or recapture) a little bit of the college experience. Participants attend 2.5 days of lectures taught by some of Truman's most recognized faculty on their favorite topics. Activities, social opportunities, and meals are included. For more information, click here.
TruAdventure: TruAdventure is a summer educational excursion program. Participants visit the national parks on this week-long adventure of hiking, rafting, exploring, and learning. It's a vacation like no other. For more information, click here.
STAPH: The Summer Talent Academy for Professions in Health (S.T.A.P.H.) is a one-week, intensive residential program aimed at students who have just completed 10th or 11th grade who are interested in becoming doctors, nurses, therapists, technicians, or any other health profession. The program will be staffed by faculty in Truman State University's allied health departments, as well as doctors and clinical faculty from A.T. Still University of Health Sciences, the founding university of Osteopathic medicine. For more information, click here.
Zombie Scholars Academy: Our primary motive for offering this Academy is to get young people thinking about disaster preparedness. We do this through two alternative threads. All students are exposed to a common curriculum about society’s response to crisis, literature’s portrayals of these crises, and some basic concepts in biology and epidemiology. From there, however, students can pursue interests in survival, leadership, problem solving, and preparedness, or they can pursue interests in fiction and the humanities, using their creative impulses and writing to explore some of these same topics. At numerous points through the Academy, these threads will reconnect to share their work. Our goals, by the end of the Academy, are:
- To leave students more prepared to deal with complex problems.
- To energize students about learning – particularly critical thinking.
- To help students feel comfortable in their interests and empowered to use their interests as a vehicle to learn and to share with others.
- To expand knowledge of disaster preparedness – both among Academy participants and others with whom they may share their acquired knowledge.
For more information, click here.

Programs Offered By Other Departments

New programs are offered by departments around campus every year. Below you will find a sampling of some of the creative programs that are available to Truman Students, prospective students, and members of the community.

SPECTRA: The Scientists Prepared and Enriched Through Research-based Activities (S.P.E.C.T.R.A.) program will provide students learning experiences that will prepare them for modern careers and opportunities involving the sciences or mathematics. Participants will be selected from the pool of incoming first-year students through a competitive application process. For more information, click here.
Taiwan at Truman: Taiwan at Truman is a program for high school age students from Taiwan to come to Truman State University campus for five weeks to improve their English and learn about American culture. Students spend time on campus and reside with local families.
Upward Bound: Over 900 Upward Bound Programs nationwide assist qualifying high school students in building the skills and motivation necessary for college success. Upward Bound does this by providing students with academic skill development, tutoring, college/career assistance and social/cultural exposure through a year-round support program for senior high school students. Upward Bound offers programming during the year, as well as a summer residential program on campus. For more information click here.
Athletic Camps: Summer day and residential camps in a variety of sports are available each summer. Special clinics are held for certain sports at various times of the year. For more information click here.

Programs Currently Under Development

The Truman Institute is working aggressively with departments all across campus to develop new and exciting weekend and summer programs of interest to K-12 students, alumni, and community members. The following programs are in the early stages of development and planning. Check back here for more information as these and other programs take form!

Therapeutic Riding: The Truman Institute, in cooperation with the Agricultural Science department at Truman, is working to develop therapeutic horseback riding opportunities at Truman's farm.