UIS Graduate and Undergraduate Catalog
Academic Year 2005 - 2006

THE CAPITAL SCHOLARS PROGRAM
A Unique Baccalaureate Experience of the University of Illinois at Springfield

Contact: (217) 206-7246
capitalscholars@uis.edu, or www.uis.edu/capitalscholars/home.asp

The Capital Scholars Program, open to a small number of highly qualified first-year college students, is a four-year baccalaureate experience combining an integrated core of general education courses with study of a foreign language and any of UIS' 20 undergraduate majors. The program provides academically well prepared and motivated students a unique opportunity to develop creative thinking, problem solving, and leadership skills through a high-quality, residential, educational experience based in the liberal arts.

Focusing on the student's total growth in the personal, academic, social, and civic arenas, Capital Scholars features interdisciplinary and collaborative learning and is designed to develop student talents through small classes that encourage lively exchange between students and professors. Students learn actively, applying their skills to real community concerns. Problem-solving and research skills are emphasized throughout the four-year program.

At the heart of Capital Scholars is the understanding that leadership is important and that it is only partly intuitive. Effective leaders learn their leadership skills, usually through trial and error. While not denying the experiential basis of good leadership, the Capital Scholars' philosophy stresses that preparation for leadership should not be hit or miss, but should be a component of higher education for highly qualified students.

Capital Scholars courses incorporate the study of leadership, and the curriculum-wide focus on collaborative learning emphasizes leadership as an integral aspect of collaboration. An optional senior leadership seminar will also provide an opportunity to combine the study of leadership with an internship in a community agency or organization where leadership skills can be observed and practiced.

The Lincoln Residence Hall, exclusively for Capital Scholars, is the focal point for a learning community in which students, faculty, and community members come together for enrichment activities. Illinois leaders from the public and private sectors -- representing scientific, artistic, and cultural interests -- will join with students for social and cultural events, workshops, and evening seminars. Day and weekend trips to cultural and educational events in Chicago, St. Louis, and throughout central Illinois will be a regular option for students. A wide range of campus social events and entertainment will enliven the hours students spend away from their studies.

Admission
Admission is open to students from Illinois and elsewhere who have demonstrated high academic achievement and a potential for creativity and leadership. Students admitted to the program are expected to have excellent written and oral communication skills and to want a challenging intellectual experience in their college education.

To be considered for admission, students must have completed 15 units (one unit = one year's study in the subject) of high school work in the following categories:

Four units of English emphasizing written and oral communication and literature

Three units of social studies emphasizing history and government

Three units of mathematics including introductory through advanced algebra, geometry, and trigonometry, or fundamentals of computer programming (four units recommended)

Three units of laboratory science (four units recommended)

Two units of a foreign language (four units recommended)

Students with these qualifications are selected based on an overall evaluation of the following: class rank, grade-point average, College Board or ACT score, writing sample, creative and leadership potential, and letters of recommendation from at least two teachers or others acquainted with the applicant's academic work. A personal or telephone interview with a member of the admissions committee may also be a component of the selection process.

Requirements
To graduate from UIS as a Capital Scholar, students must complete 120 hours including the 40-hour integrated core curriculum, 4 to 16 hours of spoken foreign language, a major of 30 to 36 hours, 12 hours of UIS requirements, and 16 to 34 hours of electives or a minor.

Integrated Core Curriculum 40 Hrs.
CAP 101 Capital Scholars Seminar (Year 1, Fall) 2 Hrs.
CAP 111 Writing for Cultural Literacy (Year 1, Fall) 3 Hrs.
CAP 121, 122, 225, 226 Interdisciplinary Humanities and Social
    Science (Year 1 and 2, Fall and Spring) 12 Hrs.
*CAP 141, 142 Biology and Chemistry of the Environment
   (Year 1 or 2, Fall and Spring) 8 Hrs.
CAP 112 Oral Communication (Year 1, Spring or Year 2, Fall)
   3 Hrs.
**CAP 131 College Mathematics (Year 1, Spring or Year 2, Fall)
   3 Hrs.
CAP 211 Writing in the Discipline (Year 2, Spring) 3 Hrs.
CAP 251 Art and Music (Year 1-3, Fall) 3 Hrs.
CAP 252 Technology, Information, and Society (Year 1-3,
   Spring) 3 Hrs.

Other General Education 16-28 Hrs.
Foreign language (up to four semesters (any semester)
   4-16 Hrs.
LSC, PAC, and AST (including 2 of the 3 areas (Years 3 and 4,
   any semester) 12 Hrs.

Major, Minor, and General Electives 52-64 Hrs.
Major (any of 20 majors) 30-36 Hrs.
General Electives or Minor 16-34 Hrs.

Total Bachelor's Degree 120 Hrs.

* CAP 141/142 is waived for science majors who take other science courses.

** CAP 131 is waived for students taking other approved college mathematics courses.