2008 Woodie Awards
Program allows students to design unique majors
by Maggie Schiller
Issue date: 4/10/07 Section: News
Freshmen browsing through the course catalog scan through the typical majors, such as psychology, political science and biology. They search for a major that they are passionate about, something that might spark their interest in 75-minute-long classes.
What freshmen might not know is that they are not limited to those already-selected majors.
They can design their own major - even if it is something as specific as steel drums.
Gretchen Bauer, associate dean of the Dean's Scholar Program, said many students are unaware of the program and its advantages.
"The Dean's Scholar Program is a wonderful opportunity for exceptional students to take one of the school's existing majors and craft it in such a way that they are able to study a topic in more depth than they would otherwise be able to do," Bauer said.
She said over the past few years, the department has received a variety of major proposals, such as American studies, science writing, sociology of disasters and environmental writing.
Sophomore Dave Fuhrman said he discovered the Dean's Scholar program due to his interest in steel drums.
"I've been playing steel drums for about a year now for a beginner group here and I was really enjoying it," he said. "It kind of hit me one day and I said, 'Wow I would much rather major in this.'
"It's a really fun instrument. I feel like I found my calling with it, so I told the instructor here and he kind of did a double take on me and said, 'We will talk.' "
Bauer said the program allows students to start with an existing major and then modify it to meet their interests and focus on a specific aspect of the major.
"I would probably be withdrawn from classes that seem less relevant and substitute classes that would be more set up to this particular instrument," Fuhrman said. "This can be a challenge because some of them don't exist yet and must be adaptable."
Senior Karin Burghardt, who went through the Dean's Scholar program, said she has been able to enhance her wildlife conservation major by incorporating elements from a variety of academic disciplines.
What freshmen might not know is that they are not limited to those already-selected majors.
They can design their own major - even if it is something as specific as steel drums.
Gretchen Bauer, associate dean of the Dean's Scholar Program, said many students are unaware of the program and its advantages.
"The Dean's Scholar Program is a wonderful opportunity for exceptional students to take one of the school's existing majors and craft it in such a way that they are able to study a topic in more depth than they would otherwise be able to do," Bauer said.
She said over the past few years, the department has received a variety of major proposals, such as American studies, science writing, sociology of disasters and environmental writing.
Sophomore Dave Fuhrman said he discovered the Dean's Scholar program due to his interest in steel drums.
"I've been playing steel drums for about a year now for a beginner group here and I was really enjoying it," he said. "It kind of hit me one day and I said, 'Wow I would much rather major in this.'
"It's a really fun instrument. I feel like I found my calling with it, so I told the instructor here and he kind of did a double take on me and said, 'We will talk.' "
Bauer said the program allows students to start with an existing major and then modify it to meet their interests and focus on a specific aspect of the major.
"I would probably be withdrawn from classes that seem less relevant and substitute classes that would be more set up to this particular instrument," Fuhrman said. "This can be a challenge because some of them don't exist yet and must be adaptable."
Senior Karin Burghardt, who went through the Dean's Scholar program, said she has been able to enhance her wildlife conservation major by incorporating elements from a variety of academic disciplines.
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