NASHVILLE, Tenn.-Starting in fall 2005, Vanderbilt will offer a
select group of high ability high school students advanced admission to
any of seven of its professional and graduate schools when they enroll
as undergraduates at the University.
The new program, the ENGAGE Scholars Program, is aimed at students
with outstanding high school careers and a demonstrated commitment to
professional or graduate school education. "ENGAGE" stands for Early
Notification of Guaranteed Admission for Graduate Education.
Selected participants will have the assurance that they’re being
accepted not only as undergraduates, but ultimately as professional or
graduate students in the program they’ve chosen. The students will be
required to meet admissions criteria set by each of the participating
professional and graduate schools.
"Vanderbilt has a distinct identity as a great university with a
unique array of schools," said Chancellor Gordon Gee. "The ENGAGE
Scholars Program is a critical part of our plan to integrate the
professional schools into the undergraduate experience," he said.
The programs from which the scholars initially may choose are
medicine, law, management, nursing, divinity, engineering and
education. The ENGAGE Scholars Program has been designed to include
additional options in the future. While a few other universities offer
early or joint admission to a single school or a limited number of
programs, no other university offers the same variety of choices of
professional or graduate schools to its students as Vanderbilt.
Students in the program are free to pursue any undergraduate major,
but, as ENGAGE scholars, will participate in a program designed
especially for them. They will be assigned a faculty mentor from their
selected professional or graduate program and will participate, along
with other ENGAGE scholars, in special programming ranging from group
activities to forums on the professions.
Each professional and graduate school will encourage its future
students to take part in the life of their programs while they’re still
undergraduates, offering the students a glimpse into what life will be
like after they complete their undergraduate programs. If an ENGAGE
scholar is interested in the School of Medicine, for instance, he or
she will participate in the existing Partnership for Up-and-Coming
Physicians (PUPS) program, in which undergraduate students attend
seminars at the school and shadow medical students.
ENGAGE scholars also will be guaranteed one paid summer internship
while in the program. That internship will emphasize practical or
research experience in the student’s chosen field, providing an early
opportunity to explore that path.
"We want our undergraduates to benefit from the proximity and talent
of our outstanding professional and graduate schools," said Nicholas S.
Zeppos, provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs. "The ENGAGE
Scholars Program provides a way for these students to explore their
professional aspirations in the broader context of a liberal arts
education.
"This program was established to attract high ability students who
are interested in pursuing a professional or graduate degree at one of
the nation’s top universities. As ENGAGE scholars, these students will
have the peace of mind that they have places reserved for them, and, as
a result, the students may experience greater flexibility in choosing
undergraduate courses," Zeppos added.
"This is very exciting," said Steven G. Gabbe, dean of the School of
Medicine. "It gives us a real competitive edge. A number of schools
have an early acceptance process of some kind, where they partner with
a medical school. But none has what we have-the best there is to offer
these students both as undergraduates and as students in an outstanding
medical school. For a student looking to the School of Medicine-or any
of the other participating programs-this is an incredible opportunity
to link in to one of the best and most selective programs in the
country at an earlier point than ever before."
There is a significant benefit to the University as well; the
program helps secure the best students in the country for Vanderbilt’s
professional and graduate programs.
"The ENGAGE program promises not only to attract outstanding high
school students who are interested in law to Vanderbilt, but also to
provide them with a solid undergraduate foundation for legal study that
will make them outstanding students at Vanderbilt Law School," said
Kent D. Syverud, dean and Garner Anthony Professor of Law.
Students applying for admission to the freshman class in fall 2005
will be the first to be eligible for the program. High school seniors
interested in the program must submit a separate application by Jan. 15
of their senior year. Finalists will be invited to campus for an
interview with representatives of their chosen professional or graduate
school, and recipients will be notified in March.
Students who are not admitted to the ENGAGE Scholars Program as
entering freshmen may apply again after their freshman year in every
area except medicine, when the second opportunity is after the
sophomore year. ENGAGE scholars who successfully meet the admissions
criteria set for them by the desired professional or graduate school
are not bound to enroll in that school except in the School of
Medicine, where a binding agreement will be expected at the end of the
sophomore year.
Students in the program who are awarded postgraduate fellowships or
other scholarly opportunities will have the option to defer
professional or graduate school enrollment for up to three years.
Media contact: Susanne Loftis, (615) 322-NEWS
Susanne.loftis@vanderbilt.edu