Belmont University Offers Transformative 'University You' Experience for High School Students

From University You to Belmont scholars: 8 students earn full scholarships and college credit 

Through an innovative partnership with Metro Nashville Public Schools, Belmont University is providing a group of local high school students with a life-changing college immersion experience called "University You." The program, which launched in 2021, invites approximately three dozen MNPS juniors and seniors to spend two weeks living and learning on Belmont's campus each summer.  

Dr. Jim McIntyre, dean of the college of education and assistant provost for academic excellence at Belmont, sees the program as a way to extend Belmont's mission of developing diverse leaders to the broader Nashville community.  

"As we think about our aspirational aim and our goal of developing diverse leaders of character and purpose and wisdom and transformational spirit, it feels like that doesn't necessarily only have to start the day that students step foot on our campus," Dr. McIntyre said. "We can reach back a little bit and start that mission in our community a little bit earlier. And so our University You program seeks to do exactly that."  

During the two-week experience, the high schoolers live in Belmont's residence halls and take dual enrollment courses from top Belmont professors. In addition to academics, the program focuses on personal development, reflection and character formation. Dr. Mary Ellen Pethel, associate director of Global Honors who helps lead the University You program, described how it has evolved from its initial vision into a transformative two-year pathway.  

"University You began as a visionary partnership with MNPS designed to bring high school students to Belmont to take a college class. But it's evolved into a life-changing, two-year pathway program," Dr. Pethel said. "Eight students from last year's senior cohort will be joining Belmont in the fall as Bell Tower scholars, and they will come in with six hours of course credit." 

The interdisciplinary courses are taught by a team of eight Belmont professors: Dr. Michael Oliver, Dr. Mary Ellen Pethel, Dr. Peter Kuryla, Dr. Bryon Balint, Dr. Tisha Gaines, Dr. Emmanuel Saka, Dr. Heather Finch and Dr. Devin Delaughter. "We work hard to create a learning environment that is both challenging and collaborative," Dr. Pethel said. "In class, we start at 30,000-feet and then drill down on specific global and digital topics. Each afternoon, Jozef Lukey [assistant director of Student Success and Flourishing and the Bridges to Belmont program] leads co-curricular activities, and at night a group of MNPS faculty and administrators stay in the dorms. It is a total team effort. We not only want students to learn to think critically—we want them to think about the very real possibility of attending college. University You creates the opportunity to do both." 

In the junior year course, "Living in a Global, Digital World," students tackle pressing global issues and gain hands-on experience in research, coding, writing and design. The senior "Data Storytelling" course emphasizes data analysis and visualization through a historical and cultural lens. Final projects allow students to synthesize their learning and propose solutions to real-world problems. 

Many of the University You participants are in the academic middle and are first-generation students for whom attending a four-year college may have previously seemed out of reach. Dr. McIntyre emphasized how powerful it is to see their perspectives evolve.  

"This University You program enables a group of young people to really envision a different future for themselves, a brighter future and a future that's filled with greater opportunities and possibilities," he said. "It's just an incredible opportunity to create a brighter future for a group of students. And that is very much aligned to our mission at Belmont University."