With "All Deliberate Speed": The Creation of the Groups Scholars Program at Indiana University

Abstract

As a result of the national, social and political climates that culminated in the 1960s, University administrators across the United States began to engage in conversations about increasing educational access for low-income and minority students. In 1968, Indiana University (IU) established the Groups Scholars Program (Groups) as a means to create educational access for Indiana’s “disadvantaged youth.” Although University Administration dragged their feet, Black students at IU advocated for changes to be implemented and pushed the development of Groups forward. Through historical analysis, this article addresses the national debates and policy reforms of the 1960s, describes the Black student experience at IU in the 1960s, highlights the key events where Black students pushed educational access forward at IU, discusses the proposals of the Groups program, and synthesizes the national debates alongside the Groups story.