After revamping both the name and mission statement of a program designed to aid incoming minority students, coordinators hope to strengthen the impact it has on students.

Thought it was originally called the Enrichment Summer Program, the name “Academic Program for Excellence” emerged after former ISU President Martin Jischke left the university.

Jischke was fond of the program’s second name – the Carver Academy – because it linked the program to the George Washington Carver Scholars. When he left, the distinction between the two organizations became so confusing that the name APEX emerged.

The program strives to help incoming freshman minority students make the transition to college and aims at continuing to provide support and service, said Irma Wilson-White, a program coordinator with APEX.

The eight-week program is offered the summer before a student’s freshman year.

Students in the program live in the residence halls. Last summer, they lived in Kimball House in Friley Hall.

Quinetta Taylor, sophomore from Chicago, participated in the program during the summer of 2001. Taylor said the experience was beneficial to her transition into college.

“The seminar helped us to adjust to college life so that it wouldn’t be such a culture shock when classes started,” she said.

“You didn’t feel like a fish in a pond because you already knew so many people.”

Sheng Ly, freshman in engineering, participated in last summer’s program. He said he did come away with a few good things, but the program also had drawbacks.

He said one of the program’s “biggest shocks” was a mandatory 7:30 to 8 a.m. check-in, which he found frustrating when his class began at 9:50 a.m.

Ly also said the program included what he liked to call “forced fun activities.”

“They had good intentions, but we were ready to go back to the dorms two hours earlier than they’d planned,” he said

Ly also said the program came with strict regulations, which he found a little too harsh. Visitors, for example, had to sign in and out, he said, which is much more strict than in previous years.

“In retrospect, I’m glad it’s over,” he said. “I got some credits out of the way and met some cool people.”