COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State University's School of Natural Resources will be launching — through a university-wide program — an opportunity to enhance academic, co-curricular and residential experiences for undergraduate students.
The new environmentally based program, Environment and Natural Resources (ENR) Scholars, will provide unique opportunities and promote environmental stewardship to undergraduate students of all majors.
The new program is part of Ohio State's Scholars Program, six-year-old university program that is designed to provide students with a better understanding of various worldly issues, promote participation in domestic and international travel opportunities, and offer personalized academic and professional mentoring. Additionally, the Scholars Program represents an exchange of ideas and knowledge for students sharing residential quarters.
Linda Harlow, associate provost of Ohio State's University Honors and Scholars Center, said that the Scholars Program is designed to not only be a recruitment and retention tool for the university, but also a way for incoming students to comfortably adjust to campus life.
"The Scholars Program tailors opportunities to student interests while giving them the opportunity to share common ties with others," said Harlow. "It helps form a strong context for students in a large, urban campus environment."
The ENR Scholars Program is the first university Scholars Program to be offered from within the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences. The program joins ranks with 11 other programs that include areas of study such as architecture, arts, biological sciences, communication technology, health sciences and humanities.
Student interest in environmental issues was the driving force behind selecting the School of Natural Resources as the next unit for the Scholars Program.
"We've had a lot of students asking if we offer anything in environmental sciences," said Harlow. "We are hoping that the ENR program will interest a whole new group of students that we haven't been attracting."
Susan Burks, School of Natural Resources academic adviser and ENR Scholars Program coordinator said, "We are very excited about becoming part of the University Scholars Program. The ENR Scholars program will be a great opportunity for students in any major who want to enhance their environmental interests on a community level."
The School of Natural Resources will launch a pilot program this fall to prepare faculty, staff and student mentors for the ENR Scholars Program, which will officially launch in the fall of 2006. Burks is hoping to attract anywhere from 30 to 40 students in the program's first year.
Currently, about 14 percent of all incoming Ohio State freshmen are selected for one of the university's Scholars programs. The goal is to increase the number of programs so that the Scholars Program, along with its sister Honors Program, eventually makes nearly 40 percent of the student body at the university — a proud representation of strong academics and a commitment to leadership and community service.
For more information on the School of Natural Resources ENR Scholars Program, contact Susan Burks at (614) 247-7219, or e-mail burks.39@osu.edu. For more information Ohio State's Scholars Program or Honors Program, log on to http://honors-scholars.osu.edu, or contact Linda Harlow at (614) 292-3135 or harlow.1@osu.edu.