State of the Program
Greig Stewart, Executive Director August 1, 2009
In a recent “On Language” column in the New York Times Sunday magazine, Jack Rosenthal – pinch-hitting for William Safire -- set America straight about the true authorship of the quote, “A crisis is a terrible thing to waste.” It dates back to 2004; Rosenthal attributes it to Stanford Economist, Paul Romer. Safire also reports that Romer’s inspiration came from the United Negro College Fund’s slogan: A mind is a terrible thing to waste. (Such a true statement.) The importance of accuracy is something we reinforce with our students at Maryland. I thank Rosenthal for this correction.
In spite of the phrase’s diminishing power – perhaps due to its recent overuse – I value its message. Learning in College Park Scholars has always been contextual. Purposefully interdisciplinary, Scholars positions students at the crossroads of several disciplines, where the complex problems of today are being discussed, and solutions are being explored. In Scholars, these problems are the case studies for tomorrow’s aspiring leaders, researchers and entrepreneurs. Not surprisingly this was most evident in this past year’s annual reports from Program directors. Let me share some highlights:
Scholars’ learning is active. Granted, learning begins in the classroom, such as the annual Earth, Life and Time’s (ELT) cladistics workshop. Scholars advances that learning beyond the classroom. For some ELT students, they were fortunate to witness the evolutionary principles from that workshop unfold in their summer field study to the Galapagos with Drs. Holtz and Merck. Learning is not limited to our students. With the support of the College of Computer, Mathematical, and Physical Sciences Dean Stephen Halperin, Drs. Holtz and Merck worked hard this year revising ELT, to launch a new program, Science and Global Change (SGC). SGC has added a contemporary context to Earth, Life and Time, providing students the opportunity to critically examine the science -- and potential human consequences -- of earth’s changing climate, biological and other systems. Already, Holtz and Merck have their sites set on Iceland as SGC’s study-abroad opportunity.
Public Leadership emulated ELT’s learning model, challenging students to examine various forms of leadership in the classroom, then investigating leadership practice locally, and for some, globally. This past winter, a select group of PL students traveled to the Kingdom of Morocco, where they observed leadership exercised in an Arab monarchy. At a follow-up brown-bag seminar, I learned from their observations about King Mohammad VI’s attempts to sustain a relatively stable monarchy while establishing modest local and national democratic practices. World leaders are not the only ones facing major crises. Closer to home, PL students teamed up with community-based organizations where they tested and applied leadership concepts to the problems being addressed by their partner agencies. Teams set shared goals, conducted assessments, implemented and evaluated their projects. One team partnered with Courtney's House, a Baltimore-DC organization building a group home for young girls rescued from the streets. Calling themselves "Courtney's Angels," the PL team launched a clothing drive in which they collected clothes and personal items for the girls who will soon be moved into the House from temporary shelters elsewhere. Courtney's Angels plans to continue their project next year. Students learned valuable lessons about teamwork, the assets that each bring to a team, how to engage with outside organizations such as non-profits, budgeting limited time, and balancing priorities. Though frustrating at times, students concluded that these projects were effective in testing their leadership skills.
Were one to point to a learning highlight for this year’s Business, Society and the Economy (BSE) program, its travel study to the Emirate of Dubai might be at the top of the list. But given the current economic crisis, a particular field trip ranked high with many of the program’s participants. BSE students deepened their classroom learning by a visit to the Federal Reserve, including a board-room conversation with Reserve Chair Bernanke. Bernanke shared his insights into the challenges confronting the Federal Reserve and other central banks, the struggle to stabilize worldwide financial markets, and entertained students’ questions.
As exemplified by BSE’s Federal Reserve visit, Scholars’ active learning is facilitated by Maryland’s location, minutes away from the nation’s capital, its research centers and agencies. Under the direction of Science, Technology and Society’s (STS) new faculty director Dr. Betsy Mendelsohn, STS students toured the state-of-the-art rehabilitation and training facility at Walter Reed Army Hospital. The recently opened Military Advanced Training Center provided students the opportunity to learn how prostheses are made and witness, firsthand, returned soldiers from Iraq and Afghanistan engaged in physical therapy. Commenting on the use of state-of-the-art technology therapeutically, Chinese major Sarah Evans observed:
Equally impressive was the CAREN machine, which resembled a completely human interactive video game. I had heard of video games used by the military for combat preparation, but never for rehabilitation.
Letters and Sciences freshman Jordan Williams was struck by the human impact of the war on families:
As we made our way to the [rehabilitation lab], I noticed the children that were with their moms or dads as they were fitted with their arms or legs. It made me feel a lot more in tune with them....
Given the corporatization of farming and food, this past year Cultures of the Americas students explored the western hemisphere through the history, culture and diversity of food. At the Scholars annual Academic Showcase, I learned from sophomore history major Courtney Yates, how she deepened that learning through her internship at a local organic market, examining the various aspects that limit access or complicate the consumption of natural foods, such as economics, class and the environment.
Under the expert guidance of Associate Director Jim DeGeorge, students in the Advocates for Children (AfC) program spent much of the year working and volunteering with numerous schools in the area. Independent from the Cultures of the Americas curriculum, several AfC sophomore research teams also examined the theme of food. At the Scholars Annual Academic Showcase, Community Health major Laura Macherelli, along with team members Matthew Karlin (Environmental Science and Technology) and Lena Schajer (Marketing), explored the fact that one-in-three American children are obese. Business major Jay Turakhia, together with teammates Sophie Kieffer (Sociology) and Susannah Landgren (Communication), examined advocacy on behalf of American children and youth by the National Obesity Foundation. Psychology major Sarah Berkey, together with teammates Alysia Holsey (pre-Nursing) and Caprice Retterer (Public Health), shared their research on young females’ body image.
An industry that is facing major transformation -- exacerbated by the current economic crisis -- is the Media. That transformation fueled Director Kalyani Chadha’s new initiative for the Media, Self and Society program (MSS). A new, three-credit course replaced the second-semester colloquium, providing students the opportunity to analyze media practice through theory. Students were introduced to applied media analysis research tools to advance their critical understanding of media effects. And as in past years, students’ capstone internships expanded their understanding of the world and their future roles in it.
[My internship] provided the opportunity to gain real-world understanding of in-class concepts. Though lectures and guest speakers can talk about these concepts, they come alive in real-world settings. Adam Wilner, Video Production Intern, Distance Education Technology Services.
The first year of college is about fitting in and making it through a tough curriculum. Even after Scholars helped us accomplish all that, our internships moved us on to the next phase of our lives -- getting a job and the steps necessary to get there. Sheila Dollard, Research Intern, Department of Psychology.
A walk through the aisles of International Studies (IS) posters displayed at the Scholars Academic Showcase demonstrated how students made learning out of the crises around the world – past present and potential. Government and Politics major Arman Bouroumand showcased his research on Iran’s “Forgotten Coups of 1953.” Business major Nadia Moosvi brought the study of Iran to the present day, through her examination of the Islamic Republic’s religion and politics. Anthropology major Mina Utt explored prejudice, persecution and the future of the Kurds while Sushil Gangaraju, another business major, shared his exploration of the India-Pakistan partition. Not all IS students’ practica were research projects. International Studies provides students the opportunity to participate in its Model U.N. team. Given its success at annual competition held in Cambridge, Massachusetts, I.S. faculty director James Glass is launching a Model OAS program, to provide more students an experiential reality of international issues while strengthening their debate, active listening, negotiation and presentation skills.
The Scholars Academic Showcase is but one of many channels for highlighting Students’ learning. Each year, the Arts program holds its Arts Fair. Sophomores work with freshmen to conceptualize, produce and present the Fair to hundreds of attendees already on campus for Maryland Day. Talk about active learning! Though the event is always well planned and rehearsed, inevitable ‘day-of snafus’ and miscalculations require critical thinking, problem solving, and above all, teamwork – a skill that is being tapped more and more these days, given the limits on resources. This year’s theme -- One-Hit Wonders -- proved a roaring success. But Arts is more than a fair. The program’s new director, Harold Burgess, hails from the Department of Theatre. In the program’s colloquia, Burgess challenged students to think critically about creativity, through experiencing many of the events at Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center.
A chapter of Scholars history closed this year with the retirement of Life Sciences Director Lee Hellman, the last of the founding College Park Scholars faculty directors. Chemical and Life Sciences College Dean Norma Allewell, ensured a smooth transition of leadership by appointing Dr. Reid Compton as the new director. No stranger to Scholars, Dr. Compton has participated in a number of Life Sciences travel study experiences. In the program’s most recent trip to Australia, Compton assisted Student Advisory Board members Chelsea Viola and Nina Rawtani learn about the ecological impact of outback fires, the struggle to limit invasive species, and the impact of global climate change on the Barrier Reef.
The Scholars environment program underwent a number of changes this past year, including further delineation of its focus to address major environmental issues of the day, as represented in its new name, Environment, Technology and Economy (ETE). ETE also welcomed a new director, Katherine Sye Grover, with expertise in global environmental management and experience as a policy analyst at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Climate Change Division. Her leadership ensured that ETE’s hallmarks of critical thinking and integrative learning will persist, as exemplified by the following sophomores’ observations:
As a result of taking these ETE courses, I am now more readily able to find the linkages between the environment and my academic interests. For instance … I found out that global warming could have a negative impact on controlling malaria ...This linkage is very helpful for me to understand the nature of infectious diseases…
- Yina Mo, Neuroscience & Physiology major
One major thing I’ve learned is that there are many ethical questions associated with protecting the environment. The ethical questions behind these efforts are often not talked about in my other science classes.
- Erin Shaw, Environmental Science & Policy major
Active learning informs Scholars’ decisions about future coursework, research, even professional choice. For Science, Discovery and the Universe (SDU) Scholar James Keane, a fall-semester SDU field trip to the National Radio Astronomy Observatory in Green Bank, West Virginia , sparked his interest in observational research. James independently returned to Green Bank in the spring to collect data of his own. Under the mentorship of Astronomy Professor Andrew Harris, James investigated the structure of the Milky Way through “observation of neutral hydrogen in the galactic disk.” We learned about James’s research through his competition – and selection – for the College Park Scholars Nancy and Ira Shapiro Excellence in Undergraduate Research Award . This summer, James interned in Tucson Arizona, with the National Solar Observatory.
Not represented in the programs’ annual reports are some other highlights worthy of note:
- Lakeland STARs, a service-learning partnership between Scholars, Paint Branch Elementary School and the City of College Park, completed its 13th year of after-school homework assistance and academic enrichment activities, with tutors logging close to 2,600 service hours for the year. On April 2, 2009, STARs received a Certificate of Appreciation from the Governor’s Office on Service and Volunteerism. Since the program's founding, STARs tutors have contributed close to 23,000 hours of service to Paint Branch Elementary School children.
- Under the new leadership of Erica Rossi, the College Park Scholars Alumni Association forged a new organizational structure to enhance its capacity to provide support to current Scholars programs and its membership. As a result, successful pre-health and pre-law workshops were provided by alumni to current Scholars, and the best attended alumni reception occurred in New York City, simultaneous with the annual Scholars in New York effort.
- And finally, Public Leadership can lift its head proudly, now that its name has been added to the list of Charity Softball Tournament winners. Prior to 2009, PL was the only program yet to have won. This year was the most successful yet for Scholars, by raising $2,800 for charities benefiting children and families.
It is evident that the excitement and commitment to learning in Scholars promotes sustained, faculty-student interaction and peer learning. The results are no surprise -- valued relationships and friendships for life. One particular crisis Scholars faced this past year truly tested the strength of our community. The untimely loss of our beloved mentor, colleague and friend Ken Joseph, challenged our capacity to grieve, to support each other, to honor, and to bid farewell. As Associate Director for the Media, Self and Society program, Ken mentored class after class of incoming Media students, providing personal counsel and crafting hundreds of letters of recommendation for internships, graduate school applications and full-time employment. As Admissions Coordinator for College Park Scholars, Ken reviewed thousands of applications and met with numerous prospective students and their families, to ensure that Scholars identified those students who not only would make the most out of their Scholars experience, but contribute their best. No more fitting a tribute could have emerged than the efforts of sophomore Media Scholar Sherry Weinstein, in establishing a peer mentoring program, ensuring that Ken’s legacy of care and commitment is passed on to future classes of Media Scholars.
The conclusions are clear. For College Park Scholars, this year’s efforts affirm our attention to the issues of the day through interdisciplinary inquiry and sustained, active learning. Faculty expertly transform today’s headlines into teachable opportunities, challenging students to embrace the world next door – or across the globe – as their classroom.
I thank our 2009 Citation class for the lessons I’ve been privileged to learn from them, and wish them continued success in facing the ever-more challenging learning opportunities ahead. Also, I eagerly await the arrival of our new class of Scholars, to invite them to wonder along with us about the world in which we live, and to begin imagining the roles they will eventually play.
Image Credits
Dr. Thomas Holtz, Director of Earth, Life & Time, providing instruction in colloquium, University of Maryland, Fall 2008.
Public Leadership faculty and Scholars on a study abroad program, Morocco, January 2009.
Business, Society & the Economy faculty and Scholars on a study abroad program, Dubai, January 2009.
Advocates for Children Scholars volunteering with children, Cedar Lane Elementary School, Spring 2009.
Life Sciences Scholar Brittany Mayer presenting at the Scholars Academic Showcase, University of Maryland, May 2009.
Dr. Lee Hellman, Director Emeritus of Life Sciences, during the annual Life Sciences camping trip, Western Maryland, Fall 2006.
Science, Discovery & the Universe Scholar James Keane, receiving the Shapiro Research Award from Drs. Peel and White at the Scholars Awards Ceremony, University of Maryland, October 2008.
Mr. Ken Joseph, former Associate Director of Media, Self & Society and Admissions Coordinator for College Park Scholars, May 2005.
Dr. David Crocker, Director of Public Leadership, providing instruction in colloquium, University of Maryland, Fall 2008.
Students in Public Leadership, the winning program at the 12th Annual "Step to Bat for Kids" Charity Softball Tournament, May 2009.
