7/9/2001
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Whether its online Advanced Placement courses, accelerated mathematics classes or residential programs geared to the science-minded, Michigan State University offers a broad range of opportunities to meet the needs of academically talented pre-college students.
"Just as students who have special talents and strong interests in the areas of sports and the arts like to use their talents and improve their skills through special programs, many students who have talent and interests in academic areas want the opportunity to do the same," said Jenny McCampbell, director of the Office of Gifted and Talented in MSU's Honors College.
"MSU was one of the first universities in the state to offer programs tailored to meet the needs of gifted pre-college students and their families," McCampbell said. "Our programs compete with the top programs in the country."
Throughout the year, and particularly during the summer months, MSU, along with the Ingham Intermediate School District and other local school districts, promotes differentiated educational programs for students in grade school, middle school and high school. The programs include:
- Online Advanced Placement courses - Offered through MSU's Virtual University, these one- and two-semester courses include calculus, chemistry, human geography, microeconomics and psychology.
- CHAMP - The Cooperative Highly Accelerated Mathematics Program is a regional program for students highly gifted in mathematics. Students complete the traditional four years of high school mathematics in two years.
- High Achievers - These two non-residential programs for high-achieving high school students focus on economics, psychology, human genetics, philosophy, and literature and film studies. They are offered at MSU and in Grand Rapids.
- MST at MSU - This two-week residential program focuses on mathematics, science and technology for middle school students with high scores in math and/or verbal areas on the SAT or ACT. This year's program runs July 29 through Aug. 11.
- Dimensions - This is a three-week non-residential program for students completing seventh and eighth grades.
- MASCOT - In this program, sixth-graders gain additional mathematics skills through a variety of instructional vehicles, including the Internet.
- Kids' College - This two-week program focuses on science for fourth- and fifth-grade students.
The Office of Gifted and Talented strives to ensure that all students who qualify for high-level academic programs are given the opportunity to attend MSU.
"Because of the quality of the programs, students come here from various backgrounds from across the country," McCampbell said. "MSU keeps the tuition and fees at a reasonable level in addition to offering scholarship assistance to those who would otherwise be unable to participate in our programs."
The Dart Foundation recently donated $50,000 to the Dorothy Lawshe Endowment for Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) in order to help assure availability of continuous needs-based scholarship funds for qualified students.
For more information about the gifted and talented programs at MSU, visit www.msu.edu/user/gifted or www.spartanyouth.msu.edu or call Jenny McCampbell at (517) 432-2129.