UNC committed to helping students find the right career path

Faced with University budget cuts and an increasing number of admitted students officials said in the undergraduate admissions advisory committee meeting Tuesday that their main focus is providing students with a quality education and the ability to make it in the careers of their choice.

The advisory committee made up of deans and officials from different academic departments discussed first-year admission numbers for the upcoming school year" which have increased in both the in-state and out-of-state levels.

""We are doing everything to increase enrollment and nothing to limit it"" said Bill McDiarmid, dean of the School of Education. Committee members said this is a good thing in light of the budget cuts.

The committee also focused on new programs designed to help students make the right career choice while at UNC.

We want to try and broaden students' horizons when they're here and be able to integrate their career and academic education"" said Steve Farmer, director of admissions.

Groups such as the Enrollment Excellence Task Force have been introduced recently to help students get the most out of UNC courses.

Chancellor Thorp said in his installation address that he wants to maintain enrollment excellence" which led to the creation of our task force" said Steve Reznick, associate dean for first year seminars and academic experiences. Reznick is one the chairmen of the task force, whose members include faculty and students.

The program aims to better connect admitted students with opportunities such as scholarships and grants, as well as to go beyond the curriculum of the College of Arts and Sciences to make students' paths to professional schools more obvious, Reznick said.

Officials agreed that instead of letting students simply stumble into a career, UNC should work to let them learn their interests and disinterests early on.

Students should be able to connect early with specific opportunities so they can take control early or cross something off their list"" Farmer said.

Another development assisting students in their path at UNC is the assured JOMC enrollment program, which, if approved, will guarantee enrollment to the School of Journalism and Mass Communication to about 20 first-year students, starting this fall.

Under the current system, students are not admitted into the school until the second semester of their sophomore year, and only if they have a grade point average of at least 2.9.

The program will immediately engage students interested in journalism in the school, offering a special honors section of JOMC 153 — news writing — and a first year seminar in media literacy to the selected students.

Farmer said students would be chosen from the pool of Honors Program students and merit-based scholars, two groups that focus on academic and personal strengths.

Programs like these allow students to take more risks in selecting classes"" which will help expand on the opportunities offered at UNC.""



Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.