Joseph Baldwin Academy

students from the Joseph Baldwin Academy

The Joseph Baldwin Academy, or JBA, is a summer institute of two three-week sessions for eminent young scholars of approximately junior high school age. It provides students with the opportunity to meet new people, take an honors class, and get a better understanding of college life. Located in Kirksville, Missouri, the academy is run by Truman State University students, faculty, and alumni.

Purpose

The Joseph Baldwin Academy was created to provide a simulated college experience for highly talented students. The courses that are provided are aimed to challenge the students unlike any other regular classroom, where normal curriculum might strike them as effortless. Since the areas explored in class are not typical in the students’ home schools the students are not encouraged to think of their work in the academy as a mere means of accelerating progress through graduation requirements. Beyond the classroom, JBA gives students an opportunity to socialize with people of their own age and intellect. The goal of the academy has been throughout the years to have the students leave with an “increased appreciation for the pleasures of education, intellectual engagement, and the college experience.”

Student Life

Each session lasts for three weeks, during which students take a single, college-level course. The classes meet from 9 am until 4pm Monday through Friday with a lunch break in between and a half-day on Saturday).[4]. The courses at the academy are intended to match the difficulty of those typically taken by first year college students, and the content approximates that of a semester-long course. [5]

Living and Supervision

While there is a greater amount of supervision and structured recreation than most college students experience, students live and eat in a Truman dormitory. Currently, the students reside in Ryle Hall, but previous sessions have been housed in Centennial Hall. All the students are also put into a housing group composed of eight people (four rooms) with a housing preceptor. The housing groups host their own activities, ranging from going to a local restaurant to watching a movie. Students are not allowed to bring video games/electronics as they are encouraged talk with other students at the academy and make new friends. Every class has between two and three preceptors who help the students with their class studies. The preceptors are also responsible for running evening activities and act as resident assistants to the students. If students violate the rules, the preceptors are responsible for documenting the incident. The students will then have to have a meeting with the director and/or assistant director at either 4:15pm or after the hall meeting, depending on the severity of the offense

Schedule

In keeping with the goal of providing a well-rounded, liberal arts education, the academy provides a rich variety of recreational opportunities. Mandatory activities and events occur every weekday from 7-9:30pm.[6] Past evening activities include: capture the flag, football, soccer, ultimate frisbee, card and board games, arts and crafts, movie watching, and trips to local restaurants and shops. JBA also has a long-standing tradition of playing dodge ball, which is played several times over the course of the academy. From 7 until 9 in the morning, students can choose to participate in morning activities. These include laundry, jogging, and yoga. During this time, students also eat breakfast in the cafeteria and talk with friends. There are also activities generally offered between 4-6pm during the students' "free time". Activities included during this time period include going to the campus recreation center, playing tennis, playing croquet, shade ball, and swimming. Unlike the evening activities, the afternoon and morning activities are both completely optional Students are also given access to university services, including the Pickler Memorial Library, “SUB”, and Ophelia Parish. When leaving any building, students must be accompanied by a buddy. At the Student Union Building, students can purchase books or buy food from restaurant vendors. At the library, they can check out books or use the computers. At Ophelia Perish they can practice their musical instruments if they have one. Students may also go to McClain Hall in order to cash checks that they may have.

Classes

Class offerings are distributed across the arts, humanities, social sciences, life sciences and physical sciences. However, most courses are interdisciplinary, and are taught by university professors. Offerings in the past have included courses in medievalism, field ecology, experimental physiology, criminology, ethnomusicology, forensic statistics, environmental chemistry, folklore and equine science, as well as challenging courses in languages less likely to be available in high school, such as Russian, Italian and Latin, specialized offerings in history, drawing, acting, mathematics, literature, and many other areas. Courses frequently involve field trips, which in the past have included archaeological digs, Native American powows, overnight excursions to libraries, museums and theatrical performances in distant cities, and even trips to Europe and the Soviet Union. Courses are taught by faculty from Truman State University, assisted by Truman student preceptors. Classes and professors vary from year to year.

Session I - June 7-June 28, 2008

Acting: Serious Play

An "Animated" Course

Communicating Politics: Rhetoric and Campaigns in the Communication Age

Introduction to Chemistry

Russian Language and Culture

Shakespeare Lives!

The Art and Science of Computer Programming

The Horse

The Human Laboratory

World Mythology

Session II - July 5-26, 2008

Computers in Art and Design: Digital Imaging with Photoshop

Crime and Justice in America

Drawing: A Springboard to the Visual Arts

Elementary Latin: The Words and Ways of the Ancient Romans

Exploring Ecology: An Experience in the Field

Ethnomusicology: Music in the Real World

Missouri Mammals: Natural History, Ecology and Behavior

Psychology & the Media: Reality Explored

The Writer's Craft

Why You're Wrong: Statistics and Persuasion

Activities

At JBA there are many activities to choose from every day. Some activities are considered JBA traditions such as dodgeball. Other activities include capture the flag, soccer, laundry, swimming at the aquatic center, movies, handball, ultimate Frisbee, and trips to Dairy Queen. Although activities held in the morning and afternoon are optional, students must partake in evening activities. Once a session there are special activities like Water Olympics (Slip n’ Slide™, mud volleyball, and more), Carnival (where students can play games run by staff, eat snow cones, and put fellow students in "jail"), Assassins (students have a target and must “kill” them with a sock), “Halloween”, dances, and a trip to Beach Ottumwa. These events take the place of evening activities during that day, with the exception of Assassins which is a passive event that usually spans 3-5 days.

Admissions Requirements

In order to attend JBA you have to be nominated by your principle or your guidance counselor. To be nominated you have to meet certain requirements. One requirement is to be completing 7th, 8th, or 9th grade the school year before attending JBA. Another requirement is to score at the 95th percentile or above in at least one area on a recognized standardized achievement examination, such as the Iowa Test of Basic Skills, Texas Assessment of Academic Skills, Stanford Achievement Test, CTBS, and MAP (these are just a few examples). The people who live in an area where there are no standardized test to use they can be nominated with a GPA of 3.75-4.0 or an IQ test of 125 (95%) or above.

Home schooled students may be nominated by a parent. They will need to supply the same standardized test score described above and will need to supply the Dean with information about their curriculum over the last two years. The Dean will handle such students on a case-by-case basis. School Counselors are encouraged to alert home schooled students in their area about this opportunity.

Distinguished Nominees who are certified as eligible for the final selection process will receive notification in October of their Distinguished Nominee designation, as well as information and application materials for the Joseph Baldwin Academy. Final selection as one of the Eminent Young Scholars is based on application information, a complete school transcript (two full years) and ACT test scores (SAT or PSAT test scores are also accepted). Also, students will be asked to provide a letter of recommendation from a current teacher. Information on how to register to take the ACT will be included in the Joseph Baldwin Academy application packet. Students will need to complete everything and mail it back to JBA by November 12th. Once the information has been received a postcard will be sent back letting you know that JBA received your application.

Distinguished Nominees who wish to attend JBA must take a college entrance examination. The American College Testing Program (ACT) is the preferred exam, although students are also welcome to complete the SAT or PSAT. In October the Joseph Baldwin Academy will send ACT information to the Distinguished Nominees. The information will instruct students how to fill out their ACT registration form so that their scores are reported directly to JBA. Students must register with ACT to take the test. They can do this by filling out the regular paper ACT registration packet available at their local high school, they can request an ACT packet from the Joseph Baldwin Academy by telephone or email, or they can contact the ACT program directly. Students should not register on-line.

History

Founded in 1985, JBA is named for Joseph Baldwin, pioneer educator and founder of Truman State. JBA was created to provide a simulated college experience, particularly in the liberal arts, at a critical point during students’ development when normative school curricula might strike them as insufficiently challenging.

The inaugural academy seated 60 students in four courses in one summer session; in 1992 the academy grew to include two summer sessions, and in recent years JBA has offered ten courses for approximately 200 pupils in each session.

Deans of the Joseph Baldwin Academy

Joseph Baldwin statue on the Truman State University campus

• Darrel W. Krueger (Founder, 1985-1989)
• Jack Magruder (1989-1991)
• Lynn Gillette (1991-1992)
• Heinz D. Woehlk (1992-1999)
• David Christiansen (1999-2004)
• Jeff Gall (2004-2006)
• Adam Brooke Davis (2006-2008)
• Kevin Minch (2008- )

External links

• JBA Home
• JBA student solves Rubiks Cube with one hand while juggling
• JBA Students challenge senator on gay rights
• www.truman.edu