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College Gears Up for Program of Excellence
gears in motion
The College has put in motion the necessary processes to designate a Program of Excellence—a unique, cutting-edge, interdisciplinary academic program that will help bring distinction to the College and the University. Through a partnership with the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs, the College has obtained funding for the program. "This is an initiative that can really put the College of Arts and Sciences on the map," said Dean Olson. "We already have faculty who are—within their disciplines—conducting cutting-edge research and utilizing the best practices in teaching. What this program will do is combine talents across disciplines to create niché programs, with curriculum and research agendas that will be very attractive to students, donors, and granting agencies." The successful program will receive start-up funding of $60,000 during the first year (2005-06) and $30,000 during the second year (2006-07).

A Program of Excellence may be an undergraduate or graduate certificate program, a new minor, a new sequence in an exisiting major, or a program devoted exclusively to primary research. Proposed programs should be clearly interdisciplinary, drawing substantively on the disciplinary expertise of two or more academic departments. Unique and innovative disciplinary collaborations are highly encouraged, even across collegial borders. Programs should be clearly distinctive, unlike any other program in the state of Illinois—and, preferably, the nation. As such, these programs should attract considerable national attention. The deadline for Programs of Excellence proposals is Tuesday, March 1, 2005. "The Program of Excellence will showcase the outstanding teaching and research being conducted in the College," said Sam Catanzaro, Associate Dean. "It is our hope that the Program will bring national recognition and prestige to the College and the University." 

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