One of Onward & Upward's main initiatives is sponsoring an HBCU Tour on a yearly basis. This year (2005) marked the first year O&U was able to facilitate such an effort. The trip covered the transportation as well as room & board expenses for six Kankakee area rising high school seniors to visit the campus of Southern University and A&M College (Baton Rouge, LA).

Students departed on the morning of Thursday, July 14 and returned on Sunday, July 17.  Students were eager to depart for and arrive in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and were equally as sad to see the trip draw to a close.

One of the primary goals of HBCU Tour 2005 was to expose the students to life on the campus of an HBCU and the opportunities that lie therein.  Many of the students that attended the trip had never set foot on the campus of any HBCU so this affored them the opportunity to see the history associated with such an institution. 

While on the campus of Southern University and A&M College, students had the opportunity to meet with faculty, staff, and students in their respective areas of interest.  In most cases, the chair of each department took time to personally meet with the students that had interest in their given department.  Students got an opportunity to view the lecture halls, laboratories, and other facilities utilized by their prospective departments as well as a chance to pose and receive answers to the candid questions they had. 

Onward & Upward would like to give a special thanks to the following individuals for taking time out of their busy schedules to show their hospitality to the students while on campus:

• The SU Admissions Office in its entirety for facilitating a wonderful campus tour
• Ms. Marilyn Hill and the entire  SU Housing Department for their tour of the residence halls
• Dr. Beverly Wade, Mr. Eric Pugh and the entire SU Honors College for their presentation and for sponsoring lunch for the entire group
• Dr. Willis Jacob and the entire SU Biology Department for taking time to speak with interested parties
• Dr. Murelle Harrison and the entire SU Psychology Department for taking time to speak with interested parties
• Dr. Bernestine McGee and the entire Human Nutrition Department for taking time to speak with interested parties
• Dr. P.K. Bhattacharrya, Mrs. Janifer Peters, Mr. Nathaniel Denu and the entire SU College of Engineering for taking time to speak with interested parties
• Dr. Ella Kelley, Dr. Diola Bagayoko, LS-LAMP and the Timbuktu Academy  for taking time to speak with interested parties

During their downtime the group had an opportunity to enjoy shopping, bowling, dining, and a plethora of activities in Baton Rouge and the surrounding areas.