Vincennes University President Dick Helton tells us what many people may not know about his school, which was created before Indiana was even a state.

Vincennes University has a sense of place and mission that distinguishes it in Hoosier higher education.
 
More than a decade before Indiana became a state in 1816; a frontier college opened its doors on the banks of the Wabash River to help students improve their lives, as well as the future of their communities. 

Today, VU’s 160-acre campus is anchored on one side by the 1803 home of William Henry Harrison, 9th President of the U.S., and on the other side by a complex of some of the state’s most modern academic and technological facilities. That contrast serves as an inspirational reminder of the power of a vision, a vision that is just as vibrant today as it was when Harrison founded the college.

From national prominence in advanced manufacturing programs to statewide leadership in early college and dual credit instruction, VU continues to meet the needs of students, including those who come from 21 states and 26 countries. VU’s mission extends to campuses in Jasper and the Indianapolis International Airport to Business and Industry instruction statewide. VU’s Distance Education and Military Education programs reach students worldwide.

VU’s Project EXCEL has offered dual credit/concurrent enrollment programs since 1975, longer than any Indiana college. With a fee of only $25 per credit hour (free for students who qualify for free/reduced lunch) Project EXCEL reaches 125 Indiana schools. 

VU’s early college partnership with Ben Davis University H.S., Arsenal Technical H.S., Washington Community H.S., and the Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation offers students the opportunity to earn both a high school diploma and an associate degree simultaneously.

Indiana’s first college continues to open doors of opportunity statewide, nationwide, and worldwide.