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TranslateIt is important to understand the significance of the name. The reason it is called THE University of Hamilton Center, Inc. is that "THE" stands for three important words: Transforming Higher Education. That is the focus of our university.
We are beginning by transforming how we look at, conceive of, and actually implement strategies that transform the mental and behavioral health workforce pipeline. We are going to do it in a way that is based on research — peer-reviewed, IRB-approved research of the Founding Provost of the university.
How UH Was Founded
THE University of Hamilton Center, Inc. did not begin as an independent idea. It was formally proposed, reviewed, and approved by the Board of Directors of Hamilton Center, Inc. — the same governing body that has guided the organization since 1967.
In 2024, President and CEO Melvin L. Burks presented the Board of Directors of Hamilton Center, Inc. with a bold vision: the organization should build its own university to transform the behavioral health workforce pipeline. The Board recognized that this vision carried forward the same mission Hamilton Center had served for over fifty years — and that it deserved serious, formal consideration.
On December 4, 2024, Art Fuller — then Chief of CCBHC — submitted a formal founding proposal to Burks and the leadership of Hamilton Center, Inc. The proposal expanded the vision to a national scale, grounded in peer-reviewed, IRB-approved doctoral research. It outlined the university's structure, its three core principles, and its path to independence.
The Board of Directors of Hamilton Center, Inc. reviewed the proposal in full. As the governing body of a not-for-profit organization that has served Indiana communities since 1967, the Board carried a deep responsibility to ensure any new venture aligned with the mission, values, and legal obligations of Hamilton Center. After careful review, the Board approved the founding of the THE University of Hamilton Center, Inc. alongside the Hamilton Center Foundation — a separate not-for-profit entity created by Burks in 2012 that is now being established as its own standalone organization, built on the unmatched history of Hamilton Center, Inc.
With the Board's approval, the THE University of Hamilton Center, Inc. opened on June 30, 2026. The Hamilton Center Foundation is being established as its own standalone organization, built on the unmatched history of Hamilton Center, Inc. Paperwork is being filed now, and official partnerships will begin in January 2027. Every decision flows back to the same governance that has guided Hamilton Center for over half a century.
The founding of the THE University of Hamilton Center, Inc. is not separate from Hamilton Center, Inc. It is an extension of it — proposed, reviewed, and approved by the Board of Directors entrusted with the organization's mission since the very beginning.
Our Foundation
THE University of Hamilton Center, Inc. Incorporated is founded on three core principles that guide everything we do.
1
We are going to elevate the skills, the knowledge, and leadership abilities of our own internal staff.
2
We are also going to create a new and innovative way to engage students in thinking about the mental and behavioral health pipeline early, from elementary school all the way up through graduate school. This will be in partnership with innovative students that are already out there.
3
We are going to transform how we reduce the negative stigma associated with mental and behavioral health. We are going to do that by creating a wing of the university that is just focused on publishing the powerful lived experiences of people that are making their way towards better overall positive mental and behavioral health. We are going to be lifting up the voices of our community through our Lived Experiences publication series. The first publication that we are going to feature is actually the life story of our President and CEO, Melvin L. Burks.
Digging even further into our Lived Experiences publication series, we are going to transform how students think about the power of being able to effectively think about, reflect on, and share their lived experiences with others in ways that inspire action.
We already have students as living proof examples that will be used as the case studies to help other students follow in their footsteps.
Reflect
Think about what you have been through
Share
Tell your story in a way that inspires action
Inspire
Become a case study for the next student
Founding Documents
Two documents tell the founding of UH — both rooted in the leadership, innovation, and legacy of Melvin L. Burks. Read them on the site, or download the originals.
The revised, independently fact-checked charter that establishes THE University of Hamilton Center as a division of Hamilton Center, Incorporated — built on the documented leadership and transformation record of Melvin L. Burks.
Read on the siteThe layperson's history of the University, told through the life and career of its Founder — from a 1979 evening receptionist to a fifty-year pattern of building programs, people, and institutions.
Read on the siteGet in Touch
To learn more about UH, our books, or the Titan of Life Scholarship, please reach out to our leadership team.
Contact the Office of the Provost