Each year, IU Indianapolis honors 50 graduate and professional students with the Elite 50 award. These chosen students have shown excellence both inside and outside the classroom, whether it be through their campus leadership, scholarly work or community engagement.
Students who are ranked amongst the top 10 of the Elite 50 will be given the Premier 10 award, while the top ranked student will be honored with the Dr. Charles R. Bantz Award for Excellence.
All currently enrolled graduate and professional students in good standing with the university are eligible to apply for the Elite 50. Students may also be nominated by peers or faculty. To submit an application, here’s what you need to know:
Important dates
Jan. 9 – nomination deadline
Jan. 16 – application deadline
Jan. 30 – recommendation letter deadline
Winners will be announced in March.
Past award winners share their experiences
Kelsey Binion, a 2021 Premier 10 recipient, believes that all graduate students, no matter their chosen discipline, should apply for the Elite 50.
“Sometimes graduate students may cut themselves short when they are looking at the Elite 50 application requirements,” Binon said. “But once you begin to fill out the application, you begin to realize how much you do outside of class.”
Sara Hindi (Elite 50 ’22) talked about how much it meant to her to be recognized among a competitive pool of applicants.
“When I received the Elite 50 award, I was overwhelmed with joy and gratitude. There are a lot of graduate and professional students who apply for the award; it is a competitive process,” she said. “I was very honored to be selected.”
Binion shared a similar reaction to being honored for more than just her academic record.
“When I was honored with a Premier 10 award, I was really excited. I felt like the things I was doing on campus through leadership, teaching and service were recognized,” she said. “I don’t think there’s another award given at IU Indianapolis that looks at all the different facets of a student’s educational career.”
Recognizing the efforts of graduate and professional students
While graduate students are often awarded for their academic achievements, they often contribute so much more to IU Indianapolis.
Molly Connor, the recipient of the 2021 Bantz Award, emphasized how important it is to honor the efforts of graduate and professional students.
“Graduate students work exceptionally hard, and the Elite 50 gives those students the opportunity to lift their heads from academia and be recognized for their contributions to the campus community.”
Isheka Orr (Elite 50 ’22) mentioned that just going through the application process helped her recognize her growth and involvement with the university.
“I had the realization that I do more than I thought I did, both for the school and the community. I got the chance to sit down and reflect on my achievements,” said Orr.
This year’s award recipients will be invited to a special reception in 2023 to honor their accomplishments. This awards banquet provides a chance to connect with students from different academic programs and be recognized by the university for their contributions to our campus as graduate students.
For any questions about the Elite 50 or its related awards, please contact elite50@IU Indianapolis.edu.
