A Report on the State of College Park Scholars as it Concludes the Celebration of its First Decade
Greig Stewart, Executive Director August 1, 2005
I. Introduction | II. Goal One | III. Goal Two | IV. Goal Three | V. Goal Four | V. Conclusion
INTRODUCTION As College Park Scholars concludes the celebration of its first decade, the University of Maryland gears up for its 150th anniversary. Originally chartered as the Maryland Agricultural College in 1856, today the University of Maryland is rightfully positioned as "a model of the modern research university." Some might question the fit of a research mission with undergraduate education. Nothing could be further from the truth. And at Maryland, College Park Scholars is 'a model undergraduate program' at a modern research university.
At the core of College Park Scholars are components that contribute to Maryland's listing in a number of the U.S. News and World Report categories of academic "programs to look for." No surprise here. Excellence is built into the design of College Park Scholars. The Scholars program paid attention to many recommendations found in the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching's Blueprint for Reinventing America's Research Universities. First and foremost, College Park Scholars is about connections, about learning within a community of peers, faculty and administrators. Secondly, College Park Scholars celebrates interdisciplinarity in all its programs, challenging students to make connections across traditional intellectual boundaries. And finally, College Park Scholars is about connecting students to the myriad of opportunities available to build the skills necessary for success in the 21st Century; skills such as teamwork, research, communication and technology.
To maintain our momentum as a model living-learning community, College Park Scholars has adopted the following four goals:
Goal 1: Fostering a Dynamic Environment for our Students to become Aware, be Informed and get Involved - Scholars students begin the awareness process on their first day by participating in a day of service. In teams coordinated by faculty, staff and Scholars alumni, all 900 freshmen deliver approximately 2,500 hours of community service to area schools, parks and community-based organizations.
The day's efforts often generate long-term relationships between individual Scholars programs and community-based schools and organizations. These connections cultivate future opportunities for Scholars students to learn more about neighboring communities, their needs and their capacities. Service Day underscores College Park Scholars' values of community, caring and teamwork.
Once students have built an awareness of community needs, their next critical step is to become informed. Faculty help students explore related issues in their freshman and sophomore colloquia, through in-class exercises, presentations by guest speakers and participation in co-curricular activities. Students are then challenged to make connections across their major areas of study, their general education courses and the theme of their Scholars program.
Many students participate in Discovery research. In consultation with a faculty mentor, students examine primary sources, unearthing interesting questions for further exploration. This past year, a Scholarship of Teaching and Learning grant provided College Park Scholars the opportunity to enhance its Discovery curriculum by adding a community-based research section. This coming year, the Scholars program -- in collaboration with the University's libraries -- will initiate a section of Discovery where students will explore a question of interest using primary resources at the Library of Congress.
Given the Scholars program's emphasis on active learning, few students stop at the informed stage. Involvement is the third, and most critical component of a Scholar's learning. Through communication and action, Scholars students further explore the issues they've discovered and researched. Many develop state-of-the-art poster sessions or Web sites to share with other students, faculty and community members. Others participate in supervised internships and service-learning initiatives that contribute to the goals of metropolitan area, non-profit and community based organizations.
College Park Scholars is particularly proud of three of its civic engagement programs:
- At the local level, Lakeland Stars offers students the opportunity to tutor local elementary school children. At the end of each academic year, the school children - accompanied by their Scholars tutors - testify at the College Park City Council, advocating for continued program support.
- At the State level, each year Scholars participates in Terrapin Pride Day, where students, faculty and administrators interact with State legislators in Annapolis. Later in the semester, students in the Advocates for Children Program return to Annapolis with documents and arguments they have researched in their courses, to lobby about a particular initiative or bill. In the past, some students have been invited to submit written testimony for the official record.
- This past year, Scholars initiated "Scholars on the Hill." Students visit a Federal department or agency in the fall, and tour Congress and meet with a Congressperson in the spring. In the past, these visits have generated summer, and semester-long internship opportunities for some of the participants.
Recognizing that effective citizens of tomorrow must develop a world view, College Park Scholars supports opportunities for study abroad. Though our campus home is in the Cambridge community, the Scholars program has no borders.
Anywhere Scholars students and faculty are found -- be it in our classrooms, our neighborhood, or on the other side of the globe - you can be sure we are actively engaged in the examination of the world in which we live.
Goal 2: To Complete the Renovation of the Cambridge Community Center and Upgrade the Community's Residence Halls - The Department of Resident Life has completed its short-term renovation plan for the five residence halls in the Cambridge Community. Living space is now available to 1,500 residents. Significant infrastructural improvement for all the halls is planned for the end of this decade, according to the campus's Facilities Master Plan.
Though state-of-the-art classroom space has been established, close to half of the Cambridge Community Center (a former dining hall) remains vacant. This space eagerly awaits transformation into a much-needed, multi-function room for large gatherings and events. Students, faculty and staff finalized plans for the space in late 2000, but the absence of resources has stalled this initiative. The current budget climate continues to curb advancement of this goal. Together with the Faculty Advisory Council, the Scholars program is strategizing creative ways to make this initiative a reality in the not-too-distant future.
Goal 3: To Enhance Student and Faculty Development, Raising the Quality of Undergraduate Teaching and Learning - College Park Scholars could not deliver an exceptional undergraduate educational experience were it not for its array of accomplished faculty. Leading the Faculty Advisory Council is Professor Ira Berlin, Distinguished University Professor, from the Department of History. Four programs are chaired by Distinguished Scholar-Teachers: From the School of Languages, Literatures and Cultures in the College of Arts and Humanities, Professor Peter Beicken co-directs the Arts program; from the Department of Mechanical Engineering in the A. James Clark School of Engineering, Professor James Duncan leads the Science, Technology and Society program; from the Department of Counseling and Personnel Services in the College of Education, Professor Ruth Fassinger co-directs the Advocates for Children program; and from the Department of Natural Resource Sciences and Landscape Architecture in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Professor Bruce James leads the Environmental Studies program.
Other Scholars faculty attract campus and national attention. Dr. Dorith Grant-Wisdom,
Director of the International Studies program, Dr. Roxanne Lefkoff, Director of the Scholars
Business, Society and the Economy (BSE) program, and Dr. Brian Shaffer, BSE's Associate
Director, were among a select group of campus faculty to participate in the Summer Institute
on Integrating East Asia into the Undergraduate Curriculum, sponsored by the Freeman
Foundation. 
Dr John Merck, Associate Director for the Earth Life and Time (ELT) program,
received the Computer, Mathematical and Physical Sciences Dean's award for Excellence in
Teaching for 2004. And it seems as if one can't read about the latest discoveries about
dinosaurs without expert commentary from Dr. Thomas Holtz; ELT's Director.
Scholars is at the forefront of active-learning methodologies, serving as a laboratory for innovative teaching and learning. As the University embarks on a campus-wide, learning-outcomes initiative, the Scholars program is exploring the possibility of assessing student's learning through portfolios. Such was the focus of this year's annual faculty and student retreat on the shores of Lake Michigan. Each year, a select group of Scholars faculty and students join peers from other institutions to examine undergraduate teaching and learning. Our '05 team examined how Scholars' faculty could (1) articulate challenging questions, (2) lead students to critically examine those questions, (3) structure opportunities for students to compile evidence of their learning into a portfolio, and (4) guide students to provide a critique of what they have learned during their two-year, Scholars experience. In addition to helping students formulate their Scholars narrative, these portfolios would serve as the basis for a more in-depth, professional and academic portfolio for future job, or graduate school interviews.
Goal 4: Honoring and Cultivating Scholars Alumni - As we conclude our first decade, Scholars comes of age. We are mindful of our expanding community of learners; Scholars now has alumni. When we first met these students, they were talented and creative freshmen.
CONCLUSION - As for today, I couldn't ask for a more exciting moment in Scholars' history. The globalization of information and the convergence of technologies and research, demand an informed and talented citizenry. Our governments, industries and educational institutions need people who can think across disciplines while they simultaneously build on the knowledge they have researched more deeply in their major areas of study. Interdisciplinarity is the intellectual foundation of College Park Scholars. Making connections between ideas, people and opportunities is what we practice. Our students -- products of a model undergraduate program in a modern research university -- will be well served and well prepared for the world ahead.
Image Credits
Earth, Life & Time Scholar with Dr. William Destler, Academic Vice President and Provost, at the College Park Scholars Academic Showcase, May 2005.
Earth, Life & Time Scholars visiting with some friendly Sea Lions on their travel study trip to the Galapagos Islands, June 2004.
Dr. Thomas Holtz, Dinosaur Paleontologist and Senior Lecturer in the Department of Geology and Faculty Director of Earth, Life & Time.
College Park Scholars Alumni serving as Senior Marshals at Commencement, May 2005.
