玛格丽特Skutt, an Indiana State University sophomore majoring in psychology, didn’t follow a traditional path in achieving her post-secondary goals.

第一年, 她住在国际州立大学校园里, 但她被特雷霍特的常青藤技术社区学院录取，并在ISU校园内学习常青藤技术课程.

She had applied to ISU, but was instead referred to the 通往蓝色之路 program.

通往蓝色之路 is a partnership between the two colleges, 现在是第三年了, 并帮助学生在学业上做好更好的准备，并顺利过渡到四年制大学.

Pathway students also pay less in tuition as Ivy Tech students.

Skutt, 谁是从锡安维尔来的, 她说，蓝色之路帮助她过渡到国际州立大学，因为她可以住在校园里, become familiar with the area and start to feel like a university student.

The Ivy Tech faculty “don’t overwhelm you, 当你需要帮助的时候, they were there always ready to help,”她说。. “我承认最初的几周很艰难，但我迟早会适应的.”

她想上ISU，“因为我听说他们有一个很棒的心理学课程，我有朋友在这里上学, which made my adjustment go a bit more smoothly,”她说。.

Her sophomore year “so far has been going great.“她制定了一个时间表，帮助她避免不堪重负，并能够保持良好的平衡.

通往蓝色学生之路, who come from across the state, 获得印第安纳大学核心, 一个30小时的通识教育证书，将完全转移到ISU(以及该州其他公立学院和大学)。.

学生 who successfully complete the program with at least a 2.0 grade-point average will be able to transfer to ISU.

Indiana has experienced a significant decline in its college-going rate, 通往蓝色的道路是一个创新项目的一个例子，可以帮助扭转这一趋势, 克里斯·洛厄说, Indiana commissioner for higher education.

“现在, 没有足够多的印第安纳州学生选择高中以外的教育道路, because of costs or because they don’t see the value in pursing higher education,他说.

改变印第安纳州大学学费的轨迹需要创新的努力，比如“通往蓝色之路”, 特别是对于那些在从高中到大学的过渡中需要额外支持的学生, 他说.

成功转型

“通往蓝色之路”面向的是那些申请了ISU但未被录取的传统年龄学生.

现在是第三年了, 这是一个只接受邀请的项目，针对的是那些在ISU表现出成功潜力的学生，但他们在第一年就参加了常青藤理工学院的课程.

学生 live in an ISU residence hall, 一起上课，并有机会获得常春藤理工学院和国际州立大学的课程和服务. They take Ivy Tech classes taught by community college faculty, but on the ISU campus; they are enrolled at Ivy Tech.

“它让学生可以选择小班授课，在进入四年的大学生活之前，先感受一下大学的感觉,萨德·沃克·希顿说, Ivy Tech director of 通往蓝色之路. “他们感受到了大学四年的校园生活，体验到了大学生活, but in that smaller cohort group setting.”

Pathway students receive almost full benefits of being at ISU; they can participate in organizations on campus, attend sporting events and use the recreation center. 他们还可以使用ISU的资源，包括写作中心、导师和辅导员.

“他们在特雷霍特常青藤理工学院也能享受到这些好处”，每周都能见到常青藤理工学院的学生成功教练, 希顿说.

他们还参加ISU的课程，学习学习技巧和其他对学业成功很重要的技能.

通往蓝色之路努力“真正给那些学生一个实现学业目标的机会”,希顿说. It provides a bridge as they transition from high school to college.

“I think it’s a wonderful model,”她说。. “这给了学生一个真正熟悉和适应大学生活的机会.” The first year of college can be a struggle.

“These students have a lot of goals and ambitions,希顿说. They aspire to be lawyers, teachers, producers, news anchors, nurses, and more. “这个项目是一个很好的机会，让他们走上实现梦想的道路.”

This year’s students come from across Indiana, 包括韦恩堡, 莱克县, 印第安纳波利斯, 曼西和埃文斯维尔.

The program expanded in 2021-22, with 35 students participating in fall 2021. The 2021 cohort improved academically compared to the 2020 cohort, with almost 50% completing two semesters of the program with a cumulative GPA of 2.希顿说.

近三分之一的学生转学到国际州立大学，成为2022-23学年的大二学生.

This fall, the program had 21 students.

学生们向ISU申请，ISU会确定他们认为会从“通往蓝色之路”中受益的学校.

在年底, 一些通往蓝色之路的学生可能决定不去攻读四年制学士学位, while others might choose to transfer to another college.

“We can define success in many different ways,希顿说. “很多学生完成了他们想要的东西，”无论是进入ISU还是其他机构. Some may choose a different career path.

开始

Daisha Myrick and Julionna Meade, 都来自印第安纳波利斯, 是今年“通往蓝色之路”班的一员，希望明年成为国际州立大学二年级学生吗.

Myrick said 通往蓝色之路 “was a chance for me to become a Sycamore.“她有一年的时间在学业上做更好的准备，并在其他方面更容易过渡.

So far, she likes the program and enjoys living on campus. Her greatest challenge is public speaking. “我正在努力. 越来越好了.”

Meade initially applied to several colleges, but COVID negatively impacted her high school grade-point average, 她说.

“很多大学都不接受我，所以ISU基本上给了我第二次生命的机会. Without college, I wouldn’t be able to do what I want to do,”她说。. She wants to be an orthopedic surgeon.

So far, the 通往蓝色之路 program is going “really well” for her, Meade said. “我喜欢我所有的课. They are super easy, for me, anyway. 我喜欢住在校园里.”

Meade is working on her study habits because, “I’ve never been one to study because I retain information really well.”

She has used ISU’s writing lab to help her write her 英语 papers, and she’s checked out books at Cunningham 图书馆.

Changes will lead to greater success

琳达莫尔, dean of ISU’s University College, 他说，大学合作伙伴“从头两年学到了非常重要的东西”，并做出了改变，应该会取得更大的成功.

最初, students lived on the ISU campus but took classes at Ivy Tech, which presented some obstacles for students, especially if they didn’t have a car. Now, the Ivy Tech students take Ivy Tech classes on the ISU campus.

“That is a significant improvement,莫尔说。.

The students also will have continuity in terms of ISU advising. 通往蓝色学生之路 will have an ISU University College adviser, 当他们过渡到他们的学术学院时，谁将最终成为他们的学术导师.

过渡到ISU的衔接学生也将成为项目成功计划的一部分, which provides comprehensive support until they graduate.

衔接课程的学生现在也被要求参加为期五天的桥梁周，计划在常青藤理工学院课程开始前一周, 这有助于他们进一步融入更大的ISU社区，并了解校园里其他18岁的年轻人.

在桥梁周期间，常青藤技术衔接课程的学生与国际州立大学其他澳门合法赌场官网的新生见面.

“It really integrates them far more ... We don’t want them to feel like they are an island here at ISU,莫尔说。. “We want them to experience ISU as an entering freshmen would experience ISU.”

While Ivy Tech and ISU do all they can to ensure students are successful, 学生必须有动力, 莫尔说. “我们想要确保我们的每件事都做得很好，这样我们就能给他们每一个成功的机会, 然后就落在他们的肩上了. They have to be motivated as well.”

该计划的另一个好处是，未来的ISU学生可以以较低的成本尝试高等教育, since Ivy Tech tuition is less expensive than ISU’s.

“We don’t want them to leave with debt they didn’t need to have,莫尔说。. “我们认为，我们有道义上的义务，确保我们邀请的人有很大的机会在学业上取得成功，并能够带着学位离开这里.”

常青藤理工学院和ISU定期会面，讨论目前的Pathway学员和其他潜在的参与者.

一些参加这个项目的学生可能会认为这不是适合他们的大学和职业道路, 而其他人可能会成功, yet transfer to other universities.

While ISU’s intent is for Pathway students to attend ISU, “如果我们能给学生一个良好的开端，帮助他们培养高等教育所需的技能, and they want to go somewhere else and are successful, I’m happy for them and I think it’s good for the state,莫尔说。.