Giving to HSI

Why give to HSI?

Every summer for the last thirty-eight years, the University of Wyoming has opened its campus to outstanding high school rising juniors from across the state.  HSI offers these students academic opportunities beyond those normally available in their high schools.  In an intellectually stimulating environment without tests or grades, students are able to study the humanities and sciences in a way that best suits the gifted learner's needs.

And learning is not limited to the classroom.  Living, studying, and relaxing together over the course of the three-week program, students can connect with and learn from other students with similar interests and abilities, and different backgrounds and viewpoints, from across Wyoming.  Co-curricular activities are designed to encourage students' interests and abilities.  Recreational activities are provided outside of the academic environment so that students might enjoy this opportunity to the fullest.

Many students have benefited from the opportunities afforded by HSI.  Since its inception, nearly 3000 students have attended the institute, with another 66 students coming in 2023.  HSI provides an opportunity for these students to clarify their goals, discover new interests, and re-ignite their passion for learning. As a result, many approach their studies with renewed vigor and purpose when they return home.  One HSI alum writes:

Throughout high school, I had a very difficult time discovering what it was that would drive me through college.  At my teacher's insistence, I applied for HSI, and was accepted.  After the three weeks at the institute, I promptly began a five-year volunteer service at the Wyoming Dinosaur Center that would end with multiple discoveries and excavations. I really don't know what my life would have been without HSI, but with it I have found doors to research and educational opportunities that I hadn't imagined possible.

The benefits do not end with the students.  By fostering community and introducing students to excellent educational opportunities close to home,  HSI encourages students who are among Wyoming's best and brightest to remain in Wyoming.  And nearly half of them do.  These HSI alumni are educators, social workers, lawyers, scientists, civil servants, engineers, doctors, and solid members of their communities; the presence of HSI alumni enriches the state and region.

Unfortunately,the depth and breadth of HSI programs cannot be covered by state funds alone.  We depend upon the generosity of HSI alumni, parents, and friends to maintain and expand the high standards we hold for programs, facilities, faculty, and student aid.

With your help, we can continue to intensify the intellectual experience for our undergraduates, both in and outside the classroom, and to encourage the powerful integration of theory, creativity, and experience for which HSI is known.  Your gift will provide the support we need to continue to invest in students of the highest distinction and to provide ample support for their growth as scholars.  Your gift will also ensure that our scholars and students have the tools and facilities required to achieve at the highest level, such as upgraded equipment in technology-intensive fields.

With the ongoing support of alumni and friends in all fields., HSI has attained a level of distinction achieved by only a handful of similar programs.  We continue to reach for the "highest order of excellence" that the Summer High School Institute founders envisioned more than twenty years ago.