University Scholars Program Annual Report 2014 - 15
“The great end of life is not knowledge but action.” Thomas Huxley 1
USP ANNUAL REPORT 2014-15 Overview 3 I. Programs 4 Student Accomplishments 4 Scholars Forum Summary 5 Scholars Forum Participation 7 USP Graduates & Senior Survey 8
University Scholars Program Staff Sean M. Cassidy, Senior Associate Director Ken Johnson, Associate Director Chester Brewer, Assistant Director Crystal Wallace, Administrative Support Specialist
Admissions 10 Mid-Year Admissions 11 Outdoor Explorations 12 Cultural Explorations 12 Study Abroad Programs 13 Scholars Council 14 II. Initiatives 15 III. Diversity 17 IV. Staff 18 V. Recommendations & Concerns 20 VI. Strategic Plans 21 University Scholars Program NC State University Campus Box 7316 Raleigh, NC 27695 - 7316 919.515.2353 Phone scholars.dasa.ncsu.edu
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Overview The University Scholars Program (USP) provided a wide range of services to academically talented students in 2014-15, including:
USP Students Say
“I spent all of my undergraduate experience at NC State involved with the USP. I started out in the Scholars Village my freshman year where I met most of my friends. I loved the program so much that I became a Scholars Village Assistant and worked for the USP for the rest of my undergraduate career. I love the opportunities provided by the program and the different cultural experiences one can take part in. My experience with this program has taught me to search for cultural opportunities throughout my community and to take advantage of all that this world has to offer. I have gotten to step out of the normal role of college life and experience something truly amazing as well as meet truly amazing and inspiring people.� Maria Withrow, 2015
Offering a major weekly lecture series, featuring locally and nationally known guest speakers, artists and performers. Providing students with a film series, a book club, an alumni lecture series and a discussion series focused on important local, national and international issues. Arranging field trips to cultural sites that preserve our history and to research centers that are creating tomorrow’s knowledge. Offering educational trips over Fall Break to New York City and Spring Break trip to Portugal. Partnering with West Campus Living and Learning Villages to develop Tri-Village programming including a welcome event, educational trip to Washington D.C. and an End of Year Celebration. Collaborating with University Housing to develop and deliver the Scholars Village in Sullivan Hall and expanding the scope of the Scholars Village by offering spaces to sophomore students for the first time. Organizing a series of activities and experiences focused on creative & critical thinking, experiential trips and service for USP students. Providing a well-developed communication network that informs students about honors courses, scholarships and fellowships, study abroad and internship programs, service projects and leadership opportunities. Encouraging University Scholars to enroll in Honors, First Year Inquiry, graduate level, USP 200 level and other advanced and innovative courses. Coordinating popular study abroad programs in Florence, Italy and Oxford, United Kingdom. Assisting the Scholars Council as it provides social, service and educational activities for University Scholars students.
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I. PROGRAMS Student Accomplishments Students in the University Scholars Program were widely recognized for the accomplishments during 2014-15. A partial list of these accomplishments follows. USP senior Volodymyr Dorosh, and USP graduate Amanda Hemmer were both awarded Fulbright grants for study in Germany and Denmark respectively. USP senior Austin Bath was awarded the 2014 Mathews Medal for his contributions to the NCSU community. USP senior Alex Hazeltine was awarded a Gilman International Scholarship for study in Hungary. 5 USP alumni received National Science Foundation Grants. 25% of students recognized as Valedictorians at the Spring 2015 Commencement were University Scholars. 134 first year University Scholars had 4.0 GPAs at the end of the Spring 2015 semester. 442 first year University Scholars had GPAs of at least 3.5 at the end of the Spring 2015 semester. 36% of the 2014-15 Phi Beta Kappa inductees were University Scholars students. 44% of the 2014-15 Phi Kappa Phi inductees were University Scholars students. University Scholars were also well represented in membership to the Golden Chain and the Order of Thirty and Three. Our graduates will pursue an impressive range of have a wide range of opportunities when they leave NC State. We recently surveyed our graduating seniors to learn more about their goals for the years to come, and we are extremely excited by their responses. Our graduates will pursue an array of careers from public relations to software development and from teaching to fashion design. They will work for a diverse array of organizations, including Deloitte, the Department of Defense, GlaxoSmithKline, IBM, Edelman, Peace Corps, Cisco and more. Of course, many USP graduates will go on to graduate and professional schools. Among the institutions our students have been accepted to are: NCSU, Duke, UNC-Chapel Hill, Wake Forest, UC Berkeley, Imperial College London, University of Texas, University of Michigan, Virginia Tech, and Johns Hopkins. The enriching experiences of the USP prepare our graduates for a wide variety of academic, professional, and personal pursuits. We wish the best of luck to all of our graduating seniors in their various endeavors!
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Scholars Forum Series Summary: Monday & Tuesday Forum Guest Speakers and Performers Our 2014-15 Forum activities encompassed a broad range of engaging lectures, debates, and performances, including: Educational and entertaining lectures by Elliot Engel focused on the history of the English language and the brilliant and bizarre Brontes. A beautiful and moving performance by USP graduate Kyler England, a singer and songwriter based in Los Angeles. A photo essay and and presentation by New York Times journalists Damien Cave and Todd Heisler about the experiences they had as they spent five weeks driving from the Mexican border to the Canadian border documenting the the ways the American heartland is being transformed by immigration. An overview of the development and evolution of the Delta Blues by musician and historian Scott Ainslie. An introduction to efforts to study the rain forest canopy by Dr. Mark Moffett, renowned biologist, explorer and National Geographic photographer. An inspirational and visually stunning slide-illustrated lecture by Annie Griffiths, one of the first female photographers for National Geographic Magazine. A special screening of the documentary film The Hip Hop Fellow. The film details Grammy award winning producer 9th Wonder’s time as a fellow at Harvard University. An introduction to the impacts that rapid urbanization is having on cities throughout South America by NC State and USP graduate Abe Drechsler and NC State and UHP graduate Brian Gaudio. An interactive lecture by Pierce Freelon of UNC-Chapel Hill about his work with the Beat Making Lab, a collaborative effort with PBS that teaches people in developing nations to create, record and share music. Stories and lessons from explorer aquanaut Fabien Cousteau who delivered this year's Harrelson Lecture. A lecture by Phi Beta Kappa Scholar David Schmidtz, professor of economics, thanks to Dr. Larry Blanton and the NC State Phi Beta Kappa chapter.
Clockwise from right: Annie Griffiths, Fabien Cousteau, Pierce Freelon and Elliot Engel.
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Optional Forum Events and Programs
In addition to the Monday and Tuesday Forums, the USP offered a range of programming to supplement the Scholars Forum experience. Students participating in Scholars Forum had access to the following activities: A weekly Discussion Series allowed students to think and share with peers their opinions on a range of issues drawn from recent headlines. The USP provides students with copies of The New York Times to prepare for their participation in the conversations. A Film Series followed our Forum theme of “Best of the Past 35 Years,” and was built off of the USP’s 35th Anniversary. Throughout the year we featured some of the best that American and international cinema had to offer from the past 35 years, such as: the Chinese period piece Raise the Red Lantern; the gripping German drama The Lives of Others; Oscar-winner Grand Budapest Hotel; and animation master director Hayao Miyazaki’s masterpiece, Spirited Away. A Book Club provided students with access to some of the best contemporary fiction from around the globe. A partial list of works read and discussed this year: Kevin Powers’ The Yellow Birds, Toni Morrison’s A Mercy, Jose Saramago’s Blindness and NoViolet Bulawayo’s We Need New Names. An Alumni Lecture Series gave students the chance to listen to lectures by a panel of recent USP graduates working as engineers, three USP graduates pursuing graduate degrees in life sciences, a successful entrepreneur and a former member of the Peace Corps. A Field Trip Series took students to places noted for their cultural, scientific, and artistic value during the year. Students had the opportunity to visit the PaperHand Puppet Studio, Duke Lemur Center, the NC Museum of Art, the NC Museum of Natural Science’s Wet Collections facility, and the Prairie Ridge EcoStation. There were also field trips focused on sustainability including Counter Culture Coffee in Durham and Piedmont Biofuels in Pittsboro. Cultural Outings allowed students to attend all of the ARTS NC State performances. USP also provided tickets for performances by the Raleigh Little Theatre, Playmakers Repertory, Burning Coal and the Leggett Theatre at Peace College. Students traveled downtown to see the Carolina Ballet, North Carolina Symphony, and several international groups brought in by the Raleigh Chamber Music Guild.
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Scholars Forum Participation  An average of 924 students enrolled each semester in the Scholars Forum in 2014-15. (Note: University Scholars are required to complete three semesters of Forum; since most students complete this requirement at the conclusion of the Fall semester of their second year, the number of students enrolled in the Spring semester is lower.) University Scholars who previously completed their Scholars Forum requirements are not included in the figures to the right, but they also participated in many USP activities, programs and academic courses. During the 2014-15  academic year, USP students had the opportunity to attend 448 different events for Scholars Forum attendance credit. The number of University Scholars present at all Scholars Forum events for the year was 19,050, with each student attending an average of 12 events.
College
Spring 2015
Fall 2014
Agriculture and Life Sciences
72
92
Design
17
27
Education
13
18
310
468
Natural Resources
19
22
Humanities and Social Sciences
73
77
Sciences
148
196
Textiles
32
35
Management
68
84
DASA
42
36
Total
794
1055
Engineering
Course Enrollment University Scholars are required to complete 12 hours of advanced or innovative coursework to complete the academic component of the USP. University Scholars enroll in Honors sections, First Year Inquiry courses, USP 200 level courses, graduate level courses and complete Honors contracts to fulfill this requirement. A summary of the enrollment of University Scholars in these courses during 2014-15 is below. Semester
Honors Courses
FYI Courses
Graduate Level
USP 1 credit
Honors Contracts
Spring 2015
370
129
87
46
178
Fall 2014
627
79
154
38
146 7
USP Graduates and Senior Survey In the 2014-15 academic year, 287 graduates were recognized for their successful completion of USP requirements. Students who completed the USP requirements received degrees from departments in the following Colleges:
College
Spring 2015
Fall 2014
Total 2014-15
Agriculture and Life Sciences
20
1
21
Design
16
1
17
Education
9
1
10
Engineering
55
9
64
Natural Resources
12
2
14
Humanities and Social Sciences
34
4
38
Sciences
50
15
65
Textiles
19
2
21
Management
27
10
37
Total
242
45
287
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During the 2014-15 academic year, graduating students who successfully completed the requirements of the USP were asked to complete a brief senior survey about their plans after graduation, experiences at NC State and participation in the USP. Comments drawn from our survey of graduating seniors praise the role that the USP played in their education by: • Helping them make the transition to college. • Providing a community that encouraged academic excellence and inquiry. • Asking them to consider important issues from a variety of perspectives. • Providing extensive opportunities for cultural and personal development. • Making it possible for them to have access to outstanding Honors courses offered by departments across campus. One of the survey questions asked students to comment on the effect of the USP on their undergraduate experience. Some excerpts from these responses are below. “The University Scholars Program launched me into my college experience by expanding my boundaries far beyond myself and my immediate surroundings and exposing me to a large variety of activities, talents, cultures and niches around the world. Some of my best college experiences were through the Scholars Program and they were all things that I probably NEVER would have known about without the Scholars Program.” -Elizabeth Abernathy
“The trips offered by the USP program have been my favorite part of Scholars. I have spent every spring break with Scholars, and it is without a doubt one of my best decisions in college. The trips exposed me to fascinating places taught me how to be an observant traveler who makes an effort to learn about a location rather than just soaking up the sights. I will greatly miss the Scholars program, and its excellent staff.” - Emily Scotton
“I believe my involvement in the USP greatly enriched and enhanced my undergrad experience. I became open to many new things and experienced many wonderful events, that I otherwise would have missed. The forums were always enjoyable events, and broadened my interests as a student and a person.” - Andrew Adams
“Especially during my first two years here, the University Scholars Program was one of my favorite things about NC State University. The program helped me to fully take advantage of the diversity of opportunities a college environment offers, and helped me become a more informed citizen of my state, nation, and world.” -Thomas Lineberger
“Allowed me to develop higher level thinking skills by learning about a variety of different topics that were new to me. The University Scholars Program shaped my college experience and encouraged me to find what I was passionate about and to explore those areas.” - Katlin Allsbrook
“The University Scholars Program has really helped me excel in my undergraduate career by pushing me to take challenging courses. Through these courses I've gained an in-depth understanding of the subject matter while also forming a close relationship with my professors.” - Steven Lindsey
“USP gave me opportunities I may not have reached out for if I wasn't a part of the program. I experienced a wide selection of cultural opportunities and new art forms that I was unaware that existed. I was encouraged to reach out and take honors classes and study abroad. USP gave me something to strive for beyond my required coursework and it was a truly enriching experience.” -Megan Alvord
“I have been a member of Scholars Council since my sophomore year and that has given me the opportunity to be more involved in the program by planning and executing events and meeting fellow scholars students along the way. This program has given me the opportunity to be involved on campus with excellent events and to be a more well rounded student. I regret that I did not live in the village my freshmen year.” - Jill Nyberg
“The University Scholars Program has been one of the most important things to happen to me since enrolling here at NCSU. A lot of things have happened since I started college and my relationship with the program and its staff has been integral to my continued success. They helped push me to places I'd never thought of or even believed I could reach before.” - Daniel Weikel Jr.
“Scholars was a fountain of enriching experiences for me. Scholars is not just a "class", it's an opportunity to experience so many new things that you otherwise would not be able to in a normal classroom setting. To me, Scholars exemplifies what a university is really about; it provided me with intellectual and artistic stimuli that I had the liberty of curating to my interests, and allowed me an outlet to explore.” - Molly Ruble
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Admissions Students entering NC State for 2014-15 needed to meet two of the following three criteria to receive an automatic invitation to join the program: • 4.6 weighted or 3.9 unweighted GPA* • Top 5% of graduating class* • 1300 on the traditional SAT or 30 ACT composite *minimum SAT score of 1200 or ACT score of 26 required. Entering students who did not receive an automatic invitation were encouraged to submit an application to join the program if they were interested in the USP. Our admissions process yielded a class of 459 students. Students in the class had an average SAT score (Critical Reading + Math) of 1326, an average ACT score of 30 and an average weighted HS GPA of 4.74. These students actively participated in the program by enrolling in USP 110, the Scholars Forum. Approximately 200 of these students chose to live in the Scholars Village in Sullivan Residence Hall. Race A. Indian
2014 Incoming Students
College 2
2014 Incoming Students
Asian
32
Agriculture and Life Sciences
28
Black
27
Design
11
Black, Asian
0
Black, A. Indian
1
Black, Hispanic
0
Hispanic
7
Hispanic, A. Indian Hispanic, Asian Nonspecified
0
Sciences
79
Textiles
13
Management
15
DASA
24
Total
459
12
347 2
White, Asian
10
White, Black
2
White, Black, A. Indian
0
Total
6
0
White
White, Pacific
Natural Resources
262
16
1
White, Hispanic
Engineering
5
Humanities and Social Sciences
Pacific
White, A. Indian
Education
15 1 459
Gender
2014 Incoming Students
Male
225
Female
234
Total
459
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Mid-Year Admissions Invitations to apply to join the USP were extended to all first-year students with GPAs of at least 3.75 if they were not already in the USP or in the University Honors Program. The application asked students to respond to one of three prompts: • One of the goals of the University Scholars Program is to challenge its students to be "culturally-connected, informed and engaged citizens." How does this goal of the program connect to your personal goals? • The University Scholars Program seeks to promote the intellectual and cultural development of its students. Describe a book, film or performance that has contributed to your intellectual and cultural development. • The University Scholars Program seeks to empower our students to be informed citizens, ethical leaders, and active contributors to our society. Please describe an experience that illustrates your ongoing commitment to make a positive impact on our campus and beyond through service and/or leadership. 167 Students joined the University Scholars Program through this process.
Race A. Indian
2015 Mid-Year Invites
Gender 0
Asian
28
Black
7
Hispanic
4
Nonspecified
3
White Multiracial Total
2015 Mid-Year Invites
Male
68
Female
99
Total
167
114 11 167
College Agriculture and Life Sciences
2015 Mid-Year Invites 13
Design
3
Education
5
Engineering Natural Resources
38 4
Humanities and Social Sciences
24
Sciences
30
Textiles
9
Management
14
DASA
27
Total
167 11
Outdoor Explorations Outdoor Explorations (OE) had a successful Fall semester with three programs offered. These three programs served a total of 23 students. This Fall’s programs included a Ziplining and Tubing trip near Fayetteville, NC; a multi-sport exploration of Raleigh; and a coastal kayaking trip at Hammocks Beach State Park. The first trip was based out of Raven Rock State Park. The group spent a day on the zipline course at ZipQuest North Carolina exploring the canopy. The following day the group had a lazy full day of tubing down a section of the Cape Fear River with Cape Fear River Adventures. During Fall Break we partnered with University Recreation to offer a unique exploration of Raleigh,
Cultural Explorations Cultural Explorations also had a very successful year with two trips. The fall break trip to New York City served 46 students and gave them access to the very best the city has to offer. The group saw three Broadway performances, explored Chinatown and Little Italy, visited the MOMA and the Met, took the Staten Island Ferry for a glimpse of Lady Liberty and saw the entire city from the Top of the Rock. It was a whirlwind trip and one that students won’t soon forget! Over the Spring Break holiday 28 students joined two staff for an epic exploration of Portugal. Beginning in Lisbon and traveling around the southern half of the
dubbed Raleigh X 3, that included hiking, canoeing and cycling. The group hiked and camped at Falls Lake and then canoed section 2 of the Neuse river in Wake County. The final day of the trip the group cycled 20 miles along the Neuse River Greenway. This was such an excellent program that University Recreation has adopted it and added it to their standard trip offerings. The final OE program was the ever popular coastal kayaking trip to Hammocks Beach State Park. Students learned the basics of kayaking while exploring the pristine coast around Bear Island. This trip was also in partnership with the Crafts Center. Students attended a kite making session at the Crafts Center prior to our departure and while camping on bear island we tested our kites while exploring the beaches of the island.
country via bus, the group visited remote mountain villages, toured Roman ruins and abandoned villages, and stepped on the westernmost edge of continental Europe at the sharp cliffs of Sagres. It was a wonderful experience filled with history, discussion, discovery and reflection. For the second year in a row students were offered an optional course with the Spring Break trip to Portugal and ten students enrolled. These students were challenged to observe, document and reflect upon their experiences while traveling abroad in a focused manner that led to a richer travel experience than many students experience. We hope to continue offering this course for future trips. 12
Study Abroad Programs 2014 was a wonderful year for the two study abroad programs coordinated by the University Scholars Program. These two programs are the Florence and Oxford Summer Study Abroad Programs. Florence is regularly NC State’s largest summer study abroad program and Oxford is NC State’s longest running summer program. These programs are open to all students on campus. In most years 30-50% of the students in these programs are University Scholars. The Florence study abroad program had 49 participats. The program was directed by our associate director, Ken Johnson. Students attended classes at the Lorenzo de Medici Institute in Florence for five weeks. They visited churches, museums and historical sites throughout the city and also enjoyed a number of field trips and educational outings on the weekends as they visited Venice, Sorrento, Pompeii, Capri, Lucca, Pisa and San Gimignano. The Oxford study abroad program had 30 students in attendance studying and living at one of the world’s most prestigious universities for four weeks. This program was directed by Sean Cassidy with assistance from Chester Brewer. Students took courses in British History and the works of Shakespeare. When not in class students enjoyed field trips to Stonehenge, Canterbury and Dover, a weekend in London and a tour of the Harry Potter Film studios.
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Scholars Council Scholars Council, the student representative body of the USP, organized numerous social, service, and educational programs for University Scholars during the 2014-15 year. Under the outstanding leadership of Jill Nyberg, a senior in Biomedical Engineering, this group of 30 students had a successful year. Scholars Council builds and strengthens the community of the Scholars Program and the Scholars Village. Scholars Council organized several activities during the Fall 2014 semester beginning with the annual Ice Cream Social. The group organized other popular social activities, including a trip to Cirque de Vol, where 15 students learned basic acrobatics on silk ropes and aerial hoops, a Human Foosball game that took place on campus, and a Hot Chocolate Social that took place immediately following the final two Forum sessions in November. The group also organized educational tours of the Belltower and BTECGolden LEAF facility, and a service event in collaboration with Oak City Outreach. In Spring 2015, Scholars Council was met with harsh weather conditions, but they were still able to have a busy, successful semester. Council planned and led three successful social events. The first was a combined trip to Crazy Fire Mongolian Restaurant and Raleigh Iceplex. The group then organized a paintball outing with Gotcha Paintball, as well as the first annual USP/UHP collaboration event, which consisted of a hike and tour of Agape Park. The Spring service events included activities at Dress for Success in Durham, volunteering with the Miracle League, and a Police Dinner which welcomed NC State police officers to have a lasagna and salad meal with a group of USP students. This event was very popular, especially among NC State police officers, as they mentioned that it is always a pleasure to have positive interactions with students on campus.
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II. INITIATIVES Second Year Village: For the first time ever the Scholars Village reserved spaces for second year students. We served 32 second year students in the Scholars Village and presented them with opportunities for canoeing, dinner and a theatre performance and other activities. We plan to enhance this initiative during 2015-16. Tri-Village Collaboration: During the 2014-15 academic year the Villages of West Campus (Eco-Village, Scholars Village and WISE) made a concerted and successful effort to collaborate on many projects in order to strengthen the West Campus residential community and to utilize resources wisely. The fruits of this collaboration included a West Campus Welcome event for incoming first year students on move in day, an educational overnight trip to Washington D.C. and an End of the Year celebration in April.
The University Scholars Program made progress on several initiatives this year. A summary of these efforts is below.
In 2014-15, in an effort to cement the community building process in our Scholars Village we enacted several changes. In addition to our move-in welcome activities for first year students, we also took every Scholars Village resident to the NC State Challenge course for a half day of team-building and personal challenge. Moving forward we have also implemented a year round program model that will ensure that residents continue to build strong intra village relationships throughout the entire academic year. Spring Break Course: For the second year in a row we were able to offer an optional 1-credit hour course connected to our annual Cultural Explorations Spring Break trip abroad. This year 10 students out of 28 elected to take the course, Experiential International Travel, which helped them develop and hone skills of critical observation, creative documentation and thoughtful reflection in order to enhance their travel abroad experiences. Students who took the course were given a series of observation prompts to complete while abroad and then decided how to creatively document their experiences upon their return.
Scholars Village in Action Modifications:
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Scholars Forum Abroad:
Scholars Forum Reflection:
This year’s Florence Program includes a new Forum Abroad opportunity. This initiative provides students with an opportunity to complete a semester of the Scholars Forum (USP 110/111) by participating in a series of enrichment activities while in Florence. Students pursuing this opportunity will use a “What? So What? Now What?” reflection model to provide feedback on these activities and will complete a final reflection paper that offers a comprehensive assessment of their experience when they return home.
This year in the Scholars Forum we began to customize event reflection questions so they were directly connected to the content of the event instead of using generic response questions. The custom questions were drawn from the QEP THINK questions related to critical and creative thinking. We found that student feedback to these questions was more thoughtful and critical than responses to questions in years past. We will continue this trend as we move forward with the Scholars Forum.
Outdoor Explorations Program Transformation:
Alumni Programming:
In the future, in part due to the success of our Experiential International Travel course, Outdoor Explorations will undergo a transformation. Students on these trips will learn about a topic or skill before the trip, then explore the topic or practice the skill during the trip, and finally upon return to campus they will share their findings with the larger University Scholars student body. Proposed trips for the 2015-16 academic year include a Fall Break trip focused on coal ash storage in North Carolina and its impacts on communities, and a Spring Break trip that will help students learn the basics of photography and sailing while they develop a photo exhibition to be presented at the NC State Crafts Center upon their return. The aim of these trip is to implement high impact learning practices on a variety of subjects that take place in the outdoors.
This year we were able to highlight the achievements of our USP alumni by bringing them back to campus when possible to discuss their experiences and accomplishments after their time at NC State. We had several such opportunities this year and we will incorporate more in the future. We had a panel of young engineers come to campus to discuss the work they do in various veins of engineering. We hosted a group of life sciences doctoral students who discussed their research. There was a small panel discussion led by several of our alumni that have also completed Peace Corps. Finally we had an exciting entrepreneur discussion by a former USP student.
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III. DIVERSITY
The University Scholars Program continues to seek a diverse cohort of students. Approximately 22% of our students entering NC State University during 2014-15 were drawn from minority groups and 8% were from underrepresented groups. Scholars Forum events offered USP students many opportunities to reflect on the importance of diversity this academic year. A viewing of The Hip Hop Fellow documentary showed students the roots of hip-hop music and its global reach. The talk led by journalists Damien Cave and Todd Heisler exposed students to the effects of immigration in the US. Educator, performer and activist Pierce Freelon wowed students with his musical abilities and stories of travels to other countries sharing music making skills. Photographer Annie Griffiths and geneticist Jennifer Kuzma discussed, among other things, breaking into male dominated careers. Students learned about the real significance of the generation gap in the documentary film Cyber Seniors. Students also viewed the world through a different lens in the critical documentary A Dollar a Day. Our USP course offerings also exposed students to important concepts of diversity. For example the course Great Decisions allowed students to grapple with current important social and political issues from around the world. In the course Readings Inspired by the Scholars Forum, students read an array of fiction that included A Mercy by Toni Morrison. The spring semester also presented 10 students with an opportunity to take our Experiential International Travel course while visiting Portugal and learning more about the unique culture and people of that country.
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IV. STAFF Student Staff The USP benefited greatly from the hard work of a talented group of undergraduates. The 2014-15 academic year brought the introduction of University Scholars Assistants (USAs), a group of student workers who lived in the location of their choice, but were equally as involved in leading Scholars Village activities as they were in leading Alternate Forum events. This year, 15 USAs--Allen Coates, Anna-Leigh Shuping, Cassidy Slabaugh, Eleanor Frederick, Joseph D’Alessandro, Julia Khatibzadeh, Justin Kuhn, Kayleigh Jernigan, Chase Thompson, Kelsey Beal, Lynde Ring, Maria Withrow, Emily Nguyen, Tyler Kund, and Tori Edmonds --were hired and supervised by Allison Medlin in the Fall and supervised by Ken Johnson in the Spring. In addition, Alexandra Lowrie returned as a USA before graduating in December. The student leaders partnered with a fellow USA or a Village RA, as well as a USP staff member to lead their respective Village in Action (VIA) groups in the Fall. In the Spring, USAs were asked to plan and organize four events for their VIA groups. The events included service trips to Note in the Pocket, arts events at University Theatre, outdoor hikes at Umstead State Park, educational tours of the Duke Lemur Center, and many similar events. The office also employed seven students through the Federal Work Study program. At’Lea Byrd, Charlotte Mader, Christine Kim, Marcela Avalos, Justin Deane, Seidah Congleton, and Angel Ngo worked diligently to make sure that attendance was entered into the Scholars students’ gradebooks in a quick, organized fashion. These students also worked on various projects for the USP staff and occasionally led on-campus Alternate Forum events. It is also worth mentioning that Marcela Avalos, after being encouraged by USP staff, successfully completed the Career Development Center’s Professional LAUNCH Series and earned a Professional Development Certificate.
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Professional Staff Crystal Wallace took on a more active role in her second academic year as the program’s Administrative Support Specialist. In July, she assisted Allison Medlin during Summer Orientation by presenting orientation material and answering students’ and parents’ questions about the program. She also worked with the USP staff to plan VIA, Forum and Alternate Forum events for the 2014-2015 session, which included organizing event logistics, like scheduling vans and communicating with students regarding missed forum events. Crystal also worked with Chester Brewer to co-advise the Scholars Council and assist the student group in planning events for USP students and independently supervised seven work study students. She joined Allison Medlin in planning and leading the 2014 Fall Break trip to New York City. Throughout the year, Crystal worked on a budget tracking spreadsheet that the office will use to plan future spending. Chester Brewer worked to engage students in various ways and to enhance the overall program as Assistant Director. He co-advised the Scholars Council during their year of event planning. He co-directed the summer 2014 Oxford study abroad program and is currently directing the 2015 Oxford study abroad program. With Ken, he co-led a wonderful spring break trip to Portugal. He successfully taught two courses focused on developing skills of critical observation and creative documentation. He led three exciting Outdoor Explorations trips and is busy making bold changes to that program for the upcoming year. He also began a new Scholars Forum program focused on TED talks. Chester planned 6 service events this year as well. He spearheaded the USP assessment efforts for the academic year. In the wake of staffing changes in the USP office, Chester has also become the central point of communications for the students of the USP and maintains the website and all social media for the program.
Ken Johnson continued to manage a range of successful and critical small group activities for USP students. Ken provided leadership for our discussion series, book club, film series and Forum field trips. He directed our 2014 Florence study abroad program, is codirecting our 2015 Florence study abroad program and coled the Cultural Explorations Spring Break trip to Portugal along with assisting the planning of the Fall Break trip to New York City. He assisted in supervising our University Scholars Assistants. Ken also served on the GLBT Center’s Advisory Board and the DASA Strategic Planning Implementation Teams 2A and 2B. He served on the West Campus Tri-Village board and helped plan and lead the Tri-Village Washington, D.C. trip this spring. Ken also mentored two students through their Global Perspectives Certificates process this spring. Ken was promoted to Associate Director in February of 2015. In addition to his work as Senior Associate Director, Sean Cassidy served on the Harrelson Committee and the USP Advisory Committee. He was a member of the DASA CCC and will chair the committee in 2015-16. He was co-director of the 2014 Oxford study abroad program and is the co-director of the 2015 Florence study abroad program. Sean served on an implementation team connected to DASA Strategic Plan. He represented the USP and UHP at the high achievers session at Open House and during Spring 2015 Experience NC State events. He reviewed Goodnight Scholarship applications and interviewed Goodnight finalists. He served on the search committee for the Executive Director of Arts NC State and on the search committee for the Associate Vice Provost of Academic Programs and Services. Sean also taught Great Decisions during Fall 2014 and Spring 2015.
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V. RECOMMENDATIONS AND CONCERNS The University Scholars Program has served many of NC State’s most outstanding and active students for over 35 years. Demand for the University Scholars Program from high-achieving students continues to be strong. We are privileged to work with these students and grateful for the support we receive from the University to serve them. We have developed a model that promotes academic excellence, offers students a wide range of meaningful and educational enrichment programming and gives them the opportunity to live in a unique residential environment. These elements encourage University Scholars to become informed and engaged citizens who impact our campus and their communities. While there is much to be proud of, we do face some challenges we hope to address in coming years. Our programming budget has not increased since 2000, but the costs associated with the programming we provide (speakers, tickets, logistics, transportation) have steadily increased. In recent years, we have been extremely fortunate to receive resources from the Parents’ Fund as well as the Chancellor’s Greatest Need Fund and we have developed partnerships with several units on campus to leverage resources. These have allowed us to maintain most of the programming connected to the Scholars Forum, but additional funding is required to ensure the long-term success of our traditional programming model. Our students regularly request additional Honors sections to complete the USP’s academic requirements. They also approach us with requests to consider allowing internships, co-op experiences and undergraduate research not connected to courses to be used to fulfill the academic requirements of the USP. During 2015-16 we will work with the USP Advisory Committee to begin conversations with academic departments about additional Honors sections and to consider modifications to the list of experiences that can be used to fulfill the academic requirements of the USP. NC State is becoming increasingly attractive to many of our state’s best students. It is increasingly popular for out of state students as well. We have many high quality programs to serve them, but our outreach to them is not as well-coordinated as it could be. High-achieving students receive multiple contacts from the diverse programs that are available to them at NC State and this makes our recruitment efforts less effective than they should be. We look forward to working with Undergraduate Admissions, the University Honors Program, NC State’s scholarship programs and other programs to produce a more integrated recruitment strategy.
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