Welcome From The Dean
Welcome to the web site for the Joseph Baldwin Academy
for Eminent Young Scholars. On this site you will be able to find information on
the Academy and the classes that we will be offering in 2008.
Purpose of the Academy
The Joseph Baldwin Academy offers highly talented students a head start on
their future university careers by allowing them to spend three weeks as college
freshmen: they move into a residence hall, adapt to living with a roommate, eat
dorm food, make new friends, attend classes, and work with Truman State's
faculty. We believe that many middle school and junior high students are not
being challenged in the classroom in their home schools, and so the Academy
wishes to provide them with an educational experience that will challenge and
stimulate them academically. The primary goal of the Academy is, and will always
be, that our students leave with an increased appreciation for the pleasures of
education, intellectual engagement, and the college experience. Along the way we
expect that they will grow both academically and socially as they interact with
other high-ability students from across the country.

Overview of the Academy
Truman State University created the Joseph Baldwin Academy in 1985 in order
to provide the benefits of a liberal arts education to students beyond its own
undergraduates. Since then the Academy has grown in size from 4 classes with 60
students to 20 classes with over 350 students in 2007. The Academy provides
courses in all areas of the liberal arts, including the humanities, fine arts,
natural sciences, and social sciences. All of the Academy's classes are
challenging, for they are designed to be the approximate equivalent of a
semester-long university course offered during the regular academic year. The
faculty members of the Academy's classes structure their courses to suit the
interests and abilities of the talented students who make up our student body. I
have personally selected the JBA faculty members, choosing some of the most exceptional teacher-scholars among
the Truman faculty.
Comments from 2007Academy graduates:
Eligibility
Students who are currently enrolled in the 7th, 8th, or 9th grade may be
nominated by their school counselor or principal if they rank in the 95th
percentile of a normed exam (see Admissions on this site for details)
Admissions. If you are a student
who meets these requirements and would like to attend the Academy, but have not
been nominated by your home school, please contact my assistant, Jana Morton.
Important Dates
Students who need to take the ACT must register for the December
8, 2007 test
no later than November 2, 2007.
Students who will be taking the SAT must register by
October 30, 2007 and take the SAT on or before December 1, 2007 to
qualify for JBA.
All student applications should be postmarked no later than November
12,
2007.
Feel free to contact my assistant, Jana Morton, with any questions that you may
have at jmorton@truman.edu or (660)785-5406.
With warm regards,
Kevin Minch
Dean of the Joseph Baldwin Academy