{"id":337896,"date":"2026-10-01T11:17:31","date_gmt":"2026-10-01T16:17:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bemidjistate.edu\/academics\/?page_id=337896"},"modified":"2026-10-01T11:36:58","modified_gmt":"2026-10-01T16:36:58","slug":"ubelongbemidjistate","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.bemidjistate.edu\/academics\/ubelongbemidjistate\/","title":{"rendered":"UBelong@BemidjiState"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Inclusive Higher Education. Meaningful Opportunities. A Place to Belong.<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<section class=\"bsu-intro-text container px-0\">\n<p class=\"intro wp-block-paragraph\">UBelong@BemidjiState envisions a university community where all students learn, work, lead and belong together.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">UBelong@BemidjiState is an inclusive postsecondary education initiative at Bemidji State University designed for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The initiative provides students the opportunity to fully experience university life, pursue academic interests, develop career skills, build meaningful relationships and work toward greater independence as members of the BSU community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As the first four-year inclusive higher education initiative of its kind in northern Minnesota, the program seeks to expand access to higher education, prepare students for competitive integrated employment, strengthen community connections and create a model of inclusive excellence that serves students throughout the region, including rural communities and tribal nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What Is UBelong@BemidjiState?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">UBelong@BemidjiState is built on the belief that students with intellectual and developmental disabilities should have opportunities to pursue higher education, develop career pathways, engage in campus life and achieve their personal goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Students are connected to the existing university community through:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Inclusive coursework alongside other BSU students<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Individualized academic and career planning<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Person-centered support and goal setting<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Peer mentoring and peer partnerships<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Campus activities and student organizations<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Employment, internship and volunteer experiences<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Academic advising and accessibility support<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Opportunities to build independence, self-advocacy and leadership skills<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\">\n\n\n\n<section class=\"bsu-block bsu-columns bsu-container-grid container bsu-columns-has-divider\"><div class=\"row gy-4 gx-5 bsu-columns-row\">\n<div class=\"bsu-column col-con-md-6\">\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why Bemidji State?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At BSU, students are part of a welcoming community that values belonging, student success and meaningful engagement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Through UBelong@BemidjiState, students can experience university life and be more prepared for life after college through:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Academic coursework<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Student organizations and campus events<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Residential life opportunities<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Career development services<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Community engagement experiences<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Peer-to-peer connections and mentoring<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Support from faculty and university staff<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"bsu-column col-con-md-6\">\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Who Can Participate?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">UBelong@BemidjiState is being developed for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities who want to pursue higher education in an inclusive university environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Additional information about admissions requirements, the application process and enrollment timelines will be available late fall 2026. Families, educators, transition specialists and prospective students are encouraged to reach out for updates.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n\n\n<section class=\"bsu-block bsu-content-on-media bsu-block-image-right\"><div data-mdb-image-src=\"https:\/\/www.bemidjistate.edu\/academics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/10\/UBelongPlanning.webp\" data-mdb-max-height=\"500\" data-mdb-parallax-init=\"\" class=\"card shadow-0 mw-100 rounded-0 bg-image parallax bsu-content-on-media-parallax align-items-md-end\" style='background-image:url(\"https:\/\/www.bemidjistate.edu\/academics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2026\/10\/UBelongPlanning.webp\");min-height:auto'><div class=\"parallax-content text-bg-white position-relative bg-opacity-90 rounded-0 col-auto col-md-8 col-lg-6 my-5 mx-sm-5 align-items-md-end\"><div class=\"container align-items-md-end h-100 py-2 px-4\"><div class=\"card-body text-md-end\"><h2 class=\"card-title display-4 border-0 my-3 text-md-end\"><strong>Looking to learn more:<\/strong><\/h2><p class=\"card-text my-3 text-md-end\">Interested in learning more about UBelong@BemidjiState? Whether you&rsquo;re a prospective student, family member, educator, transition specialist, or community partner, we&rsquo;d love to hear from you. Dr. Sherry Holloway is the initiative director and is dedicated to ensuring the initiative reflects the mission of inclusive higher education and student belonging.<\/p>\n<div class=\"bsu-button \" tabindex=\"0\"><a class=\"btn btn-primary btn-lg fw-bold  px-6\" href=\"mailto:Ubelong@bemidjistate.edu\" data-mdb-ripple-init=\"true\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">Email Dr. Holloway<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>\n\n\n\n<section class=\"bsu-block bsu-content-on-color p-0  bg-secondary\"><div class=\"card shadow-0 flex-row mw-100 p-0 rounded-0 text-bg-secondary \"><div class=\"card-body container row mx-auto py-5 align-items-md-start\"><div class=\"col-12 my-3 text-md-start\"><h2 class=\"card-title display-4 border-0\">It&rsquo;s a Campuswide Effort<\/h2><\/div><div class=\"col-12 my-2 text-md-start\"><p class=\"card-text\">UBelong@BemidjiState brings together partners from across the university, including Academic Affairs, Student Success, Accessibility Services, Financial Aid, Residential Life, Career Advancement, the American Indian Resource Center and other campus resources to support students throughout their college experience.<\/p><\/div><div class=\"col-12 my-4 text-md-start\">\n<div class=\"bsu-button \" tabindex=\"0\"><a class=\"btn btn-primary btn-lg fw-bold  px-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bemidjistate.edu\/directory\/offices\/\" data-mdb-ripple-init=\"true\">View the directory<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>\n\n\n\n<section class=\"bsu-block bsu-content-on-color p-0  bg-accent\"><div class=\"card shadow-0 flex-row mw-100 p-0 rounded-0 text-bg-accent \"><div class=\"card-body container row mx-auto py-5 align-items-md-start\"><div class=\"col-12 my-3 text-md-start\"><h2 class=\"card-title display-4 border-0\">Minnesota Inclusive Higher Education Consortium<\/h2><\/div><div class=\"col-12 my-2 text-md-start\"><p class=\"card-text\">UBelong@BemidjiState is part of the Minnesota Inclusive Higher Education Consortium (MIHEC). Its mission is to expand college options and increase access to and affordability of high-quality, inclusive postsecondary education. These opportunities help develop skills essential to achieving the goals of competitive integrated employment and community living for interested youth, young adults and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities from all ethnic, cultural, linguistic and socioeconomic backgrounds.<\/p><\/div><div class=\"col-12 my-4 text-md-start\">\n<div class=\"bsu-button \" tabindex=\"0\"><a class=\"btn btn-light btn-lg fw-bold  px-6\" href=\"https:\/\/mihec.ici.umn.edu\/\" data-mdb-ripple-init=\"true\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">Learn mroe about the MIHEC<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Supported by the Minnesota Office of Higher Education<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">UBelong@BemidjiState is made possible through funding from the Minnesota Office of Higher Education&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/ohe.mn.gov\/competitive-grants\/inclusive-higher-education-grants\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">Inclusive Higher Education Grant.<i title=\"External link\" class=\"bsu-icon bsu-icon-external-link small ms-1\"><\/i><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Created by the Minnesota Legislature in 2023, the grant program was established to expand access to higher education opportunities for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Through this support, Bemidji State University is developing a sustainable model that connects education, employment, community engagement and lifelong belonging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Inclusive Higher Education. Meaningful Opportunities. A Place to Belong. UBelong@BemidjiState is an inclusive postsecondary education initiative at Bemidji State University designed for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The initiative provides students the opportunity to fully experience university life, pursue academic interests, develop career skills, build meaningful relationships and work toward greater independence as members [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":606,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"template-default-nav-removed.php","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"bsu_hero":"","bsu_hero_on_children":false,"bsu_hero_height":"200","bsu_hero_video":"","bsu_hero_focal_point":"","bsu_hero_media":"","bsu_hero_display":"random","bsu_hero_slider_interval":5,"bsu_hide_from_navigation":true,"bsu_redirect_enabled":false,"bsu_redirect_url":"","bsu_redirect_target":false,"bsu_require_auth":false,"bsu_require_auth_usertypes":"","_bsu_seo_title":"","_bsu_seo_description":"","_bsu_robots_noindex":false,"_bsu_sitemap_priority":"","_bsu_og_title":"","_bsu_og_description":"","_bsu_og_use_hero":false,"_bsu_og_image":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-337896","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bemidjistate.edu\/academics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/337896","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bemidjistate.edu\/academics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bemidjistate.edu\/academics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bemidjistate.edu\/academics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/606"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bemidjistate.edu\/academics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=337896"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.bemidjistate.edu\/academics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/337896\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":337905,"href":"https:\/\/www.bemidjistate.edu\/academics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/337896\/revisions\/337905"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bemidjistate.edu\/academics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=337896"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}