E@M Magazine, Fall 2011

Page 10

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5]W\U b] bVS A]c`QS As part of the University of Maryland, a land-grant institution, the & Clark School is required to draw 70 percent of students from its home state–and Maryland is a state with a remarkable pre-college educational program. In 2011, for the third straight year, Maryland’s public education system received three first-place national rankings: Education Week, the College Board (for advanced placement performance) and the The Washington Post’s Challenge Index list (for the highest percentage of rigorous high schools). The Clark School, through its Top 25 Engineering Source Schools Program, makes a special effort to recognize the Maryland high schools that provide it with the greatest number of students, including certificates from and occasional visits by Clark School Dean Darryll Pines. “Too often college or university leaders do not make the time to visit high schools,� says Pines. “My personal contact with principals 1:/@9 A16==: and guidance counselors =<3 G3/@ demonstrates the Clark C<23@5@/2C/B3 School’s interest in their @3B3<B7=< :3D3: excellent programs and encourages their continued commitment to providing an oustanding education in math, science and technology.� Nick Novak, principal of River Hill High School, Clarksville, Md., a Blue Ribbon High School and a Top 25 Engineering Source School, notes that “Dean Pines’s visit affirms that our efforts in STEM education are paying off for our students, who are prepared

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to succeed in challenging, top-quality programs such as the Clark School’s. When our students and teachers can watch something like the Gamera flight online, it’s fun and it shows them what young people can do, given the right opportunities. That’s an important motivator.� (For the current list of Top 25 Engineering Source Schools, visit www.eng.umd.edu/prospective/top25.)

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for leadership, public service, the environment, international relations and other areas of interest. “Our students are academically strong when they enter the Clark School, and they get so much stronger after taking advantage of all of the opportunities the school offers,� says Francis Duvinage, director of the university’s National Scholarships Office. “They can compete at the highest level with scholarship applicants throughout the country.�

=\S b] =\S @SQ`cWbW\U Clark School Professor and Associate Dean for Undergraduate Student Affairs William Fourney and his staff have developed recruitment methods that emphasize direct, personal interactions. They believe that while electronic tools like Skype and Facebook have their place in reaching prospective students, a one-to-one approach to recruitment and a personal touch are crucial to attract top students. “In all of our activities, our goal is to create indi/aa]QWObS 2SO\ EWZZWO[ 4]c`\Sg eWbV RW`SQb]`a vidual connections with ]T abcRS\b aS`dWQSa ZSTb b] `WUVb ( @]aS[O`g students,� says Bruk >O`YS` 1S\bS` T]` ;W\]`WbWSa W\ AQWS\QS O\R Berhane, Clark School 3\UW\SS`W\U 8S\\O 2]ZO\ C\RS`U`ORcObS /RdWaW\U O\R /QORS[WQ Ac^^]`b >OWUS A[WbV coordinator of under E][S\ W\ 3\UW\SS`W\U 6SWRW AOcPS` 1] ]^ O\R 1O`SS` AS`dWQSa O\R 8O\S 4W\Sa 7\bS`\ObW]\OZ graduate recruitment. O\R :SORS`aVW^ >`]U`O[a “We take time to provide personal explanations of our programs and how they match student interests. We describe engineering in terms of making the world a better place, starting with our own programs, internships at nearby federal agencies and corporations, and eventually employment. And we engage students in basic, hands-on, team activities to build confidence and show them and their parents the approach we take in real classes.� A key ingredient in the school’s recruitment strategy: the cadre of 70 Clark School student ambassadors trained to conduct school tours, staff open houses and receptions for admitted students, and visit regional high schools. “No matter what a prospective student 3\UW\SS`W\U . ;O`gZO\R N 4OZZ

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