Centers of Excellence Pamphlet

CENTERS OF EXCELLENCE

THE CENTERS OF EXCELLENCE (COE) offer Marianapolis students a unique opportunity to combine their passion and higher level thinking skills, while crafting their own academic experience.

The program is open to all students beginning in their sophomore year, and there is no minimum grade requirement for entry.

In the spring of freshman year, students may self-select into one of three Centers of focus:

Entrepreneurship: In the Mark R. Russell ’67 Center for Business and Entrepreneurship, students follow their passion for creativity and explore methods for developing effective and marketable solutions for practical problems.

Social Justice: In the Center for Social Justice, students discover their capacity for public service, activism, and community development as they tackle issues of diversity, equity and inclusion.

Innovation: In the Center for Innovation, the emphasis is on discovery as students utilize technology to develop and test scientific methods for improving our lives through computer science or engineering classes.

Students who complete all COE program requirements earn their Marianapolis diploma with a special designation in their chosen Center of Excellence, which distinguishes their achievement and

Lauren Makie '20 Mark R. Russell '67 Center for Business and Entrepreneurship Penn State University

enhances their academic profile for college placement. Students graduate high school having demonstrated their commitment, gained unique experiences, and developed insights and understandings of the world beyond the traditional classroom.

“The classes, our passionate teachers, and our internships have helped prepare us for what’s to come next.” - Sydney Kennison '20

Each of the Centers includes:

Required and elective courses Practicum in the form of an internship or externship experiential component Practicum seminar English Capstone course

While working within these requirements, as they advance through their grade levels, students craft their Centers experience in a way that meets their own unique interests.

Practicum Experiences A student in the Center for Innovation, focusing on computer science, completed an internship with a nonprofit organization, using software that interfaced with a municipal database to update historic town buildings.

A student in the Mark R. Russell '67 Center for Business & Entrepreneurship completed an internship in a health care office that provides physical therapy services.

A student in the Center for Social Justice completed an internship in a law office and worked on a political campaign.

A student in the Center for Innovation, focusing on engineering, completed an externship by interviewing three professional engineers and submitting a summary report to the Director of the Centers of Excellence.

Michael Acquaah-Harrison '20 Mark R. Russell '67 Center for Business and Entrepreneurship Carnegie Mellon University

By senior year, all Centers students develop core proficiencies in critical thinking, information fluency, communication skills, ethical and civic responsibility, quantitative literacy, and creative capacity.

“Over the past four years, my peers and I have created bonds [...], pitched full business ideas, presented projects, and taught each other that changing the world is nowhere near impossible.” - Elena Spangle '20

CONTACT DR. ED SEMBOR, DIRECTOR OF THE CENTERS OF EXCELLENCE, AT ESEMBOR@MARIANAPOLIS.ORG OR 860.923.9565 EXT. 298 FOR MORE INFORMATION