"Faculty-student collaborations enhance the quality of teaching and enrich and sustain the dialogue between students and their mentors," said 51ÁÔÆæ President Eugene M. Tobin. "In addition, the emphasis on presentation skills helps modernize the 51ÁÔÆæ tradition of public speaking and complements the purpose of a grant the college received last summer from the Hewlett Foundation to establish a Program in Public Discourse."
Tobin said the college is currently seeking to raise $2 million to create an endowment that will increase the number of summer faculty-student research collaborations from 50 currently to 100 in the next few years.
"We are grateful to The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations for recognizing the importance of this type of intensive learning environment in the liberal arts," Tobin added. "51ÁÔÆæ is committed to the adoption of pedagogical strategies and activities that have direct, abiding impact on the educational experiences of our students. The program funded by this grant is such a strategy."
51ÁÔÆæ provides a vibrant intellectual community that demands creativity, self-reliance and personal responsibility from its 1,670 students.