Summer High School Institute
University of Wyoming
1200 Ivinson St
Laramie, WY 82070
Phone: (307)766-3005
Email: hsi@uwyo.edu
Every summer since 1985, 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. 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.
In the past, HSI instructors sent their students selections of books, individually tailored to each student's interests, after the end of the program. Students were touched by this individual attention and encouraged in their intellectual pursuits. Due to a lack of funds, this part of the program was discontinued, but with your help, we can start it up again, further expanding the positive impact of HSI in students' lives.
Each year, one day of the program is set aside for a visit to Fort Collins, where students experience Fort Fun and white water rafting for the first time. You gift will help us continue this cherished tradition.
HSI frequently provides additional financial support to alumni who attend the University
of Wyoming. HSI alumni have received supplemental college scholarships, as well as
funding to study abroad and to attend conferences, where former HSI-ers present papers
and participate in scholarly exchanges.
Your gifts may be specifically directed toward any of these activities, or you may ask that your donation be directed toward the area of greatest need.
Ways of giving include gifts of stocks and securities, planned gifts, employer matching
gifts, and honorary and memorial gifts. It is also possible to give online through
the University of Wyoming Foundations secure website: www.uwyo.edu/foundation.
Furthermore, thanks to the generosity of the Wyoming Legislature, gifts greater than
$50,000 - a one-time contribution or pledged over as many as five years - can be matched
dollar to dollar, doubling the impact of your donation and establishing a lasting
endowment that will enhance the work of students far into the future.
If you would like to discuss a possible gift to the UW Summer High School Institute,
please call the HSI office at (307) 766-3005.
See how your donations have impacted HSI scholars.
Summer High School Institute
University of Wyoming
1200 Ivinson St
Laramie, WY 82070
Phone: (307)766-3005
Email: hsi@uwyo.edu