This summer, the University will become home to over 300 upcoming eighth through tenth grade high school students participating in Duke University’s Talent Identification Program Summer Studies Program.
The program, which offers students the opportunity to take part in intensive college courses, was previously only offered at 12 universities across the nation, but the University will now become the 13th. The entire process to get the program here took two years, said Douglas Weimer, executive director of Continuing Education at the University.
“It’s sort of like dating,” Weimer said. “Both parties have to agree. They expressed some interest a couple years ago, and agreed to host a site visit … We knew that they were particularly excited to partner with campuses that had unique kinds of things.”
Some of these unique opportunities are course offerings like Studio Architecture, which most public universities don’t have, Weimer said. Another unique aspect for participants is the Coastal Science and Oceanography course offering which no other campus in the program offers, other than Duke’s home campus in North Carolina. Additionally, the University also offers Criminal Law and Mock Trial which most universities without a law center cannot offer, Weimer said.
“These are really programs that Duke looks to LSU to help craft, and we hope that it will be largely LSU folks, either grad students or undergraduate students or faculty, that are driving these programs,” Weimer said.
Since 1980, Duke TIP has aimed to identify academically talented students in fourth through 12th grades with talent searches and help them reach their potential by offering various programs, including above-level testing, recognition for achievements, and educational opportunities year-round, per the Duke TIP website.
During the summer, the University will offer two sessions of three-week courses. Each session will have ten different course offerings with about 16 students in every course. Each of the over 300 taking part in the program will be completely immersed in a collegiate atmosphere, from residing on campus in dorms to eating in the dining facilities to being in classes with local professors and teaching assistants.
Students are in class six days a week, but the program also offers other recreational activities and field trips to supplement their time on campus.
“First, [participants] qualify by scoring in the top five percent on the ACT or SAT in the 7th grade,” said Kristy Anthony, director of Pre-College & Youth Programs at the University, of the process students must go through to apply for the Summer Studies Program. “Duke mentioned they had an 800-person wait list last year that couldn’t get in.”
For students who are accepted to the program, Duke provides millions of dollars in scholarship funds to students who may not be able to participate in the program otherwise, Weimer said.
While the University houses the program, Duke hires the staff. Rather than outsource staff, University students can apply at tip.duke.edu.
“[Duke’s] first priority is to hire as many LSU students, faculty, staff as they can,” Anthony said. “It’s better not to bring people in from North Carolina if we have local talent here.”