Spring Break
Students needed for LEAP to succeed
Dean Galaro
Issue date: 3/4/09 Section: Opinion
A potential downside to the program is a lack of student interest, since the fellowships are all voluntary. It will require students to devote time and energy to ensure the success of the program. The LEAP initiative rests on the premise that Rhodes students are looking for opportunities like these fellowship programs.
According to the official QEP report, 68% of the prospected number of fellowships that will be part of the fully implemented LEAP are already in place. The only requirement will be incorporating them into the LEAP framework or be expanded to fit potential involvement. Some groups, like the Student Associate Program, might have portions inducted under the "fellowship" banner, but the goal of LEAP is focused on the academic work outside of campus. The plan is to get as many as four hundred students into these academic programs within four years.
Are that many students really going to jump on the fellowship bandwagon simply because there is going to be lots of room for them? Less than 7% of Rhodes students participate in these fellowships, and to prop that number up to almost 30% would mean an incredible participatory boost would have to come over the next four years.
Everyone has been in a class when no one wants to participate and the professor is stuck trying to promote discussion. If kids are dead set on not participating, or are simply apathetic enough, nothing is going to change that. Students who do not participate in fellowships now will probably not participate in the future through a simple expansion of the programs and a tighter administration. The best bet would be to give incoming students the lowdown on the new programs and attempt to siphon the students into them before academic apathy has a chance to settle in.
Could the money being spent on LEAP be put to use with programs that students are sure to be involved in? Maybe. Does this mean LEAP is a bad idea? Of course not. These kinds of opportunities for learning and work are very special and should not be taken lightly or shrugged off. Everyone should at least look at what fellowships are bring offered to them and mull it over a little bit.
Rhodes' LEAP program is a wonderful way to promote learning that will be truly beneficial to students about to leave campus for the real world, but due to the structure and function of fellowships the success of this program depends on the students. If no one participates, then this dream will simply flounder, and what a waste that would be. My trepidations are not with the program, but more with the students. It is most definitely a worthwhile endeavor, and I hope that the LEAP program is thoroughly embraced and that it can become a feather in Rhodes' cap as many programs have been in the past.
According to the official QEP report, 68% of the prospected number of fellowships that will be part of the fully implemented LEAP are already in place. The only requirement will be incorporating them into the LEAP framework or be expanded to fit potential involvement. Some groups, like the Student Associate Program, might have portions inducted under the "fellowship" banner, but the goal of LEAP is focused on the academic work outside of campus. The plan is to get as many as four hundred students into these academic programs within four years.
Are that many students really going to jump on the fellowship bandwagon simply because there is going to be lots of room for them? Less than 7% of Rhodes students participate in these fellowships, and to prop that number up to almost 30% would mean an incredible participatory boost would have to come over the next four years.
Everyone has been in a class when no one wants to participate and the professor is stuck trying to promote discussion. If kids are dead set on not participating, or are simply apathetic enough, nothing is going to change that. Students who do not participate in fellowships now will probably not participate in the future through a simple expansion of the programs and a tighter administration. The best bet would be to give incoming students the lowdown on the new programs and attempt to siphon the students into them before academic apathy has a chance to settle in.
Could the money being spent on LEAP be put to use with programs that students are sure to be involved in? Maybe. Does this mean LEAP is a bad idea? Of course not. These kinds of opportunities for learning and work are very special and should not be taken lightly or shrugged off. Everyone should at least look at what fellowships are bring offered to them and mull it over a little bit.
Rhodes' LEAP program is a wonderful way to promote learning that will be truly beneficial to students about to leave campus for the real world, but due to the structure and function of fellowships the success of this program depends on the students. If no one participates, then this dream will simply flounder, and what a waste that would be. My trepidations are not with the program, but more with the students. It is most definitely a worthwhile endeavor, and I hope that the LEAP program is thoroughly embraced and that it can become a feather in Rhodes' cap as many programs have been in the past.
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Russian Wives
posted 3/20/10 @ 7:38 PM CST
A think this new storie have some mistakes.
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