Residents invited to apply for 2024 Residents Academy
The City of Bloomington invites residents to apply for the 2024 Residents Academy, to be held on ten Thursday evenings, August 15, and August 29 through October 24, 6-8 pm. Sessions include interactive presentations by City staff, as well as demonstrations and tours of City facilities. Previous participant experiences included:
- Touring Switchyard Park and learning about its development from a railway hub to Bloomington’s newest award-winning park.
- Riding in the bucket of the Bloomington Fire Department’s 100-foot aerial ladder truck for a birds eye view of the city.
- Touring the Near West Side neighborhood, Bloomington’s newest historic district.
- Experiencing a behind-the-scenes tour of the Bloomington Animal Shelter.
The City’s Department of Housing and Neighborhood Development (HAND) developed the Residents Academy in 1999 to encourage civic engagement and to educate residents about City government, including topics such as:
- Structure and function of city government and how it differs from county, state and federal government.
- Challenges faced by city government as it balances budget limitations with community goals and service needs.
- Day-to-day operations.
- The structure and function of city departments.
- Opportunities for resident involvement through city boards and commissions.
- Innovative approaches to problem solving, and goals for the future.
The application deadline is Monday, July 8, 2024. Applicants will be notified of either their acceptance into the program or their placement on a waitlist by Monday, July 15, 2024. Preference will be given to residents who live within the Bloomington city limits. The City of Bloomington strives to be an accessible community and Residents Academy offers participants mobility accommodations. Due to the nature of class sessions, the Academy is an in-person experience. There is no virtual option.
You may apply online at bloomington.in.gov/residentsacademy. To request a paper application, please contact Angela Van Rooy, HAND Neighborhood Services Program Manager at angela.vanrooy@bloomington.in.gov or 812-349-3505.
IU is strong with Boren Awardees
Indiana University leads the nation in successful applications for the Boren Award, an undergraduate scholarship and graduate fellowship program designed to increase the number of qualified fluent speakers of languages deemed critical by the U.S. Department of State. This is the second year that Indiana University Bloomington has been a Top Performing Institution for the undergraduate Boren Scholarships and the second in which the university has broken its previous record. Only 34% of applicants nationally were awarded scholarships for 2024.
IU students will travel in Morocco, Kazakhstan, Ghana and Taiwan in 2024-25 for a year of intensive language study and a semester-long internship in the host country. The students have won approximately $365,000 in national language scholarships for the 2023-24 application cycle. As a part of the Boren Award, students commit to working for the U.S. government in some capacity after graduation.
Pack the Cruiser event this Saturday
Community Outreach Deputy Fraker will be at this year’s ’Pack the Cruiser’ event this coming Saturday with our friends from Bloomington Police Department. Donations of non-perishable food items are greatly appreciated, and will benefit a great cause.
This Week in Hoosier History
1949 – WFBM went on the air as the first television station in Indiana. Broadcasting on channel 6 in Indianapolis, the station’s first day of programming included live coverage of the 500 Mile Race.
For more local news . . . Check out our archived episodes of What’s Happenin’ and Talkin’ Sports with Nick Jenkinson