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OCR for page 25
7
SELECTION CRITERIA
SELECTION OF STUDENTS
The primary selection point will be in
the student's senior year of high school
concurrent with application to college, and
decisions will be made by each individual
consortium. Students will be selected based
on a portfolio including a student statement of
career goals, letters of recommendation,
transcripts, and SAT or ACT test scores. All
students should have completed four years of
college preparatory mathematics in high
school through precalculus, three years of
science, and four years of English, earning a
3.2 GPA or higher in those courses. In
addition' it is required that students be
enrolled in precalculus or calculus during
their senior year of high school. We suggest
a minimum Il00 SAT score (old scale) or
equivalent ACT score. Although these
criteria are fairly specific, it will be important
for those involved in the selection process to
exercise flexibility and creativity in reviewing
student credentials. Students may be lacking
in one part of their portfolio but more than
accommodate for it in another area.
· . · ~ · ~
Personal interviews
conducted wherever possible.
should be
In the event
that it is not possible to arrange a campus visit
for prospective students, interviews should be
set up with faculty, staff, or perhaps alumni.
The program should make provision
for "late bloomers," for students who wish to
enter from other higher education institutions
or programs? and for those who simply did not
know about the scholars program as high
school seniors. Furthermore, students should
be permitted to take a leave of absence, not to
exceed one year, from the program and be
allowed to return, conditional upon the
availability of space and funding.
Undergraduate students must maintain
a 3.2 GPA in science and mathematics course
work and otherwise maintain satisfactory
academic progress. Furthermore, students
should be required to sign a yearly, renewable
contract in which they declare their intent and
commitment to pursue advanced (doctoral)
study in science and engineering.
Students will be required to apply to
graduate school through the normal
admissions process and, if accepted, will be
eligible to continue as a National Scholar if
they state their intention to seek a doctoral
degree. That the student is a National
Scholar, however, will not guarantee
admission. Admissions decisions will remain
with the graduate department.
OCR for page 26
26
SELECTION OF CONSORTIA
The National Scholars Coordinating
Council, in consultation with NASA (and
other pertinent program sponsors), should
issue a Request for Proposals. Applications
could originate from either the graduate or
undergraduate institution, or institutions could
submit a joint application, so long as there is
real and demonstrable involvement on the part
of both institutions in the program.
The overdying criterion for evaluating
consortium applicants is the likelihood of
success in advancing the participation of
minorities in science and engineering at the
cloctoral level. The proposed consortium
should state its objectives and provide
evidence that indicates effective
implementation of the proposed educational
elements; the contributions of the proposed
partners in the consortium; institutional
commitment; a record of accomplishment in
educating minority students and/or evidence
of proposed commitment that would suggest
a strong likelihood of future success; and a
high quality academic program.
· , . .- ~
An institution should not be
disqualified from seeking to implement a
National Scholars consortium because of the
lack of previous accomplishments. Indeed,
such committed institutions should be
encouraged as a means of expanding the
access of minority youth to high quality
educational programs and institutions. At the
same time? institutions with a history of
serving minority students must demonstrate
how a consortium would expand and improve
contributions to the development of minority
doctoral scientists and engineers.
We believe that a National Scholars
Program should be envisaged, at a minimum,
as a 15-year commitment. The initial years
will be a learning experience, during which
time each consortium will refine its strategies
and objectives. Furthermore, it will take a
minimum of nine years for a student who is
admitted as a college freshman scholar to
complete his or her undergraduate and
doctoral study. The program should provide
stability in consortium funding. A situation to
be avoided is one in which a consortium has
received funding for several years? after which
a retrospective evaluation is undertaken.
Representative terms from entire chapter:
minority students
