Indiana GEAR UP’s new state director wants to ‘remove barriers’ to education
The Indiana Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) named Terron Phillips, Jr., a clinical assistant professor of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies in the Purdue University College of Education, as its new state director and co-principal investigator (Co-PI).
Housed in the College, the Indiana GEAR UP program (INGU) seeks to prepare Indiana students for university or other postsecondary opportunities.
Phillips’ appointment is effective Jan. 1, 2025, but he’s already started working on “removing barriers” to Indiana students’ educational success. Former INGU state director Virginia Bolshakova, executive director and assistant research professor of in the College’s Department of Curriculum and Instruction, will continue as the principal investigator (PI).
Bolshakova said that INGU’s first eight years were the “start-up mode” for the program, which has reached over 13,000 Indiana students from 10 school corporations – and more than 3,000 educators.
In August 2024, the U.S. Department of Education awarded $34.9M funding for INGU for an additional seven years to continue its efforts to support Indiana students and educators. Since then, “we’ve been asking how we can scale up INGU to reach more schools and sustain it better,” Bolshakova said.
INGU hopes to increase its reach to 14,300 Indiana students in 28 schools across 10 partner school corporations to strengthen academic preparation, college readiness and career guidance, with a special focus on Indiana’s 21st Century Scholars.
Bolshakova said that Phillips’ appointment is key to these efforts. He wants to help students with the challenges they face in college – and prepare them to get to college or other postsecondary opportunities – by removing barriers to their educational success.
Both are excited about new emphases which Phillips’ appointment opens up: increasing operational support, and developing strategic partnerships across Indiana with school principals, employers, other non-profits, and higher education institutions.
Phillips has already been involved in a similar, smaller non-profit organization he co-founded in 2021 with his father, Terron Phillips Sr.: Future Matters. Operating in his hometown of South Bend, IN, this organization offers athletic, college, and career readiness tracks to equip 7th-12th grade South Bend students to succeed financially and lead fulfilling lives. INGU will continue to collaborate with Future Matters and other youth programs around the state to support and recruit students for college and other postsecondary opportunities.
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“It became so clear that Terron was the one for this position, as he was already invested with his father in his community,” said Bolshakova. “So I asked, ‘Why aren’t we doing this work together?’”
“Our career and personal goals were a good fit,” Phillips said of working with Bolshakova. “She was the PI and I was already collaborating on outreach to students. Through early conversations we saw our passions in education were aligned.”
Phillips says he can relate to the students INGU reaches, as he himself was a low-income, first-generation college student. He wants to improve educational experiences for students, which ties in with his research.
“It’s important to know what challenges students face and to use our resources in INGU to help prepare our students to be able to face and overcome those challenges,” Phillips said. “It’s really all about removing barriers to educational attainment and access.”
One of his first tasks as state director will be to create an alumni network where alumni could serve as tutors, mentors, and allies for the newest INGU cohort, creating a network and potential funding opportunities to support INGU.
Bolshakova is excited for the “bridge” Phillips brings to INGU as he continues to teach and do research with graduate and undergraduate students, using their experiences to help inform INGU educators of best practices in cutting-edge educational research.
“INGU’s future is brighter than it’s ever been, now that we have Terron and his energy for this program,” Bolshakova said.
“I’m fortunate and blessed because I get to support students’ success from middle school through to college graduation, which is just the best job I could have,” Phillips said. “We’re already doing a lot of great things for our students, but what else can we do to support them in the next seven years?”
Sources: Terron Phillips, phill350@purdue.edu; Virginia Bolshakova, vbolshak@purdue.edu