Summer Scholars Program

What is the Jay P. Rolison, Jr. Summer Scholars Program?

The Summer Scholars Program is a two-week residential program for students attending high schools in Dutchess County. The Summer Scholars Program provides challenging academic opportunities for a selected number of 10th and 11th graders. Students who are invited to participate will have demonstrated high academic achievement, intellectual potential and creativity, as evidenced in their Summer Scholars Program applications will be invited to participate.

The academic programs are designed to challenge high school students in one of three multidisciplinary projects. The programs will be offered simultaneously at three college campuses: Bard, Marist and Vassar.  Students invited to participate in the Summer Scholars Program will be assigned to one of the courses of study. The course site will determine where each student will reside for the duration of the program.

All Summer Scholars will reside in dorms located on the campus to which they are assigned. Meals will be served three times daily. Dormitory life will be supervised by a Residential Director and several Resident Assistants at each campus. Twenty-four hour campus security for the duration of the program will be provided by the security staff at each college campus.

Student Selection Standards

Students selected for the Summer Scholars Program from school districts in Dutchess County will be a diverse group of students willing to engage in collaborative academic inquiry and be part of a social/learning community.

The Summer Scholars Program provides up to ninety of Dutchess County's most eligible students an opportunity to explore multidisciplinary topics in depth.  Instructors and students in the program enjoy an environment that provides methods of instruction and learning that are usually not available in a traditional, comprehensive high school setting. A conscious effort has been made to ensure that the program offered to Summer Scholars does not duplicate the offering of either high school or college curricula.

Recreational Opportunities

The campuses have swimming pools, playing fields and fully equipped field houses for use by Summer Scholars.

Participation Standards

Each student will be required to participate actively and positively in all scheduled classes and activities. In addition, each student is required to complete all assigned work. Assignments may include the keeping of journals, response papers, research, and collaborative presentations. The Summer Scholars program is designed to challenge students. The students are expected to meet the challenge.

The Summer Scholars Program is a concentrated academic experience.  Classes and enrichment activities are scheduled throughout the two weeks, including July 4 and weekends. Scholars register at the beginning of the program and remain in residence for the duration.

Participants will not be excused to attend conventions, camps, conferences, workshops, lessons, sports, practices, graduations, or family vacations. Leaves-of-absence are not permitted except in emergency situations, and only with the permission of the Program Director.

Students may not drive any vehicle at any time during the program. In addition, students will not be permitted to bring a car or other motorized vehicle or bicycle on campus. Students are also not allowed visitors during the program, except family visitation on Family Day, Sunday, July 6th.

Students wishing to participate in religious services will be able to participate in services held at the campus where they are located. With prior notificatoin to the Summer Scholars Program Director parents and guardians may make arrangements to take the student to the service. (Completed release forms will be required and given to the Residential Director on the day of the service).

Summer Scholars represent their home schools and are required to follow all rules and regulations in the SUMMER SCHOLARS COMMUNITY LIFE HANDBOOK.

Program Fees

There will be no tuition for students from public schools selected to participate.  Tuition, room, board (three meals per day), books, field trips and enrichment activities are all part of the program package provided to students free of charge. Students from private schools selected to participate will pay a participation fee.

There will be a non-refundable reservation fee of $35.00 charged to each student accepting the invitation to attend the program.*

The Summer Scholars are responsible for the actual cost/responsibility of travel to and from the program on the first and last day. In addition, any spending or pocket money is to be supplied by the student or his/her family. There are stores on campus where personal items (toothpaste, deodorant, candy, etc.) may be purchased.

*This reservation fee will be waived for any student in financial need. Please contact your high school guidance office for further information.

Evaluation of Student Performance

All students will be evaluated at the mid-point and completion of the Summer Scholars program by the Academic Staff. These evaluations will be included in all second year applications.

Neither grades nor academic credit are given to Summer Scholars.  All students who successfully complete the program are awarded a participation certificate following the close of the program.

Funding

The cost of the Summer Scholars Program is paid for by New York State funds acquired through a legislative initiative sponsored by Senator Stephen Saland; by the Dutchess County school districts; and by in-kind contributions from Bard, Marist, and Vassar Colleges. Students from private schools pay a participation fee.

Student Eligibility Requirements

1. Current high school juniors and sophomores (2008-2009 school year)
2. Legal residents of Dutchess County
3. Students attending high school in Dutchess County
4. Students identified by their high schools as high achieving, innovative or accelerated learners.

Student Selection

Eligible students are nominated and screened by their schools. At each high school the principal and guidance departments receive information and application materials and can advise students concerning local procedures. High schools are urged to widely publicize the Summer Scholars Program and the opportunities it provides. Each school has also been asked to form a committee to assure broad participation in the important identification phase of the selection process. Nominations will be made on the basis of criteria provided by the Program Director. Students who are interested in the program should contact their high school Guidance Office for further information. Once nominated, all candidates will be carefully screened by the Selection Committee. Final selections will be made by this committee. Students and their families will be notified of their acceptance during the week of May 11th.

Program Activities

During the Summer Scholars Program, students and teachers engage in intellectually challenging inquiry and fieldwork.  Throughout the program, students have the opportunity to interact with experts in the various fields of study and become active participants in learning collaboratively.

As a supplement to the academic program, students will participate in a wide range of enrichment activities which may include lectures, concerts, field trips, seminars and films.  Summer Scholars are expected to be part of a learning community of peers, faculty, and residential staff.

A wide range of recreational activities are available on the college campuses during the Summer Scholars Program. Athletic equipment and sports facilities are available at each campus and are at the disposal of the Summer Scholars Program.

Motor vehicles, bicycles, skateboards, scooters and roller blades are prohibited.

During the first weekend, the Summer Scholars on each campus will participate in "trust-building" activities designed to promote group cohesiveness and allow the students and staff to become better acquainted with each other. All aspects of this program are designed and directed by highly trained and experienced professionals.

Program Timeline

The 2009 Programs

PROGRAM A: Creative Writing Workshop [Bard College]

The purpose of the Summer Scholars Program at Bard is to provide students with the critical tools and historical context to understand literary writing and to encourage them to engage intellectually with their peers. This course will be an introduction to the workshop method used in college-level creative writing classrooms. Work shopping, in which students read and carefully critique each other’s work was first developed at the University of Iowa in the late 1960s and has since become standard on campuses and in community writing groups throughout the country. Students attending the Bard Summer Scholars Program will spend half their classroom time writing and discussing fiction and half of their time writing and discussing poetry. Outside of the class, students will work on specific exercises designed to strengthen both their understanding of craft and as their ability to be members of an academic community. There will be some lecture on the technique, structure, and history of fiction and poetry, but much of the program will consist of students presenting and critiquing their own work. The program will involve students in lectures, discussions, collaborative readings, and, most of all, writing. All activities will enable students to become stronger critical readers and thinkers, with an emphasis on mature and sophisticated classroom participation. At the end of the program, students will hand in a portfolio of their most successful creative work, and there will be final reading by the entire class.

Faculty and students will:

• learn the critical tools and historical context to understand literacy writing;
• learn how to critique others student’s work;
• write and discuss fiction and poetry;
• learn how to become members of an academic community

The purpose of the Summer Scholars Program at Bard is to provide students with the critical tools to become stronger critical readers and thinkers, with an emphasis on mature and sophisticated classroom participation. The program will involve students in lectures, discussions, collaborative readings, and writing. Students in the Bard Summer Scholars program will in a portfolio of their most successful creative work, and there will be final reading by the entire class.

PROGRAM B: Computer Graphics [Marist College]

This course provides a practical, top-down treatment of the subject of computer graphics. Students learn about the basic problems and methods in the field by actively developing interactive 3D applications. Topics include modeling, animation, rendering, user-interaction, and programmable shading. We explore multiple facets of the creative process. We consider the impact of continuing advances in both graphics hardware and algorithms. Attention is also given to social and cultural issues that arise from rapidly increasing power and decreasing costs of generating realistic digital graphics.

Faculty and students will:

• discover the fundamental challenges and techniques in computer graphics;
• gain an appreciation of the impact of digital graphics on everyday life;
• create two and three dimensional graphics using modern software tools;
• learn about key figures and important historical milestones in the field;
• participate in the end-to-end process of developing a complete application;
• collaborate on a final project that integrates several components;
• demonstrate their creations and discuss challenges encountered

The purpose of the Summer Scholars Program at Marist College is to offer students a unique opportunity to experiment first-hand with modern computer graphics tools and ultimately to build their own creations. A variety of skills are involved in the development of a complete 3D application – from “painting and sculpting” using digital tools to designing a program's look and feel to writing computer code to drive the program. Students are free to explore different parts of the creative process and focus on those tasks that most interest them. Cooperating in small teams, students combine these ingredients to design, implement, and deploy an original graphics application. Part of each day is devoted to discussion, ranging from the recent developments to the ways in which cheap, believable digital imagery influence our perception of the world around us. The workshop culminates with demonstrations of the final projects.

PROGRAM C: A Post-American World? America's Changing Role in the International System [Vassar College]

Much has been made of America’s declining relative power in world affairs. Today, the tallest buildings, biggest malls, and fastest economic growth can be found not in the United States, but in the developing world, where millions of people are being pulled out of poverty into the middle class. Some critics of American hegemony rejoice at the “rise of the rest.” But is a declining United States a good thing for global stability and prosperity? “There is no one who can replace America,” said one South Korean diplomat recently. “Without American leadership, there is no leadership.”

This course examines the concept of a “post-American world” from historical and policy perspectives. What were the sources of America’s rise to global hegemony after 1945? What are some of the economic and political consequences of an America in “decline”? What are the implications of a “post-American world” for American foreign policy? In these changing times, what new balance will have to be struck between “hard power” (military might) and “soft power” (multilateral diplomacy and foreign aid) as America tries to achieve its goals? Can the United States with a new administration in Washington adjust to a “post-American world” by genuinely engaging in multilateral diplomacy and working through international organizations, such as the United Nations, and with nongovernmental organizations, such as Amnesty International? How can the U.S. work with the international community in solving a host of global problems, such as resource depletion, climate change, financial crises, and terrorism?

Faculty and students will explore:

• What is the concept of a “post-American world?
• What are some of the economic and political consequences of an America in “decline”?
• What new balance will have to be struck between “hard power” (military might) and “soft power” (multilateral diplomacy and foreign aid).
• Can the U.S. adjust to a “post-American world” by engaging in multilateral diplomacy and working
  through international organizations?
• How can the U.S. work with the international community in solving a host of global problems.

The purpose of the Summer Scholars Program at Vassar is to help students understand the complex role of the United States in the world today. The program will involve students in lectures, formal debates, discussions, and collaborative research. Students in the Vassar Summer Scholars program will produce a series of policy recommendations as a final project.

What is the Summer Scholars Program REALLY like?

The following was written by a former Summer Scholar.

The SSP is designed for a select group of applicants to participate in a two-week academic experience at a college in Dutchess County.  I was accepted into the Robotics program on the Bard campus and found it to be a wonderfully rewarding experience in many ways.

Academically, learning about the construction, programming, and inner workings of automated mobile robots was intriguing and provided me with useful knowledge and skills.  One of the most critical aspects of the project was programming the robots to perform tasks and react properly to changes in the environment.  This experience helped me to improve my problem solving and teamwork skills.  It also provided practice working in a style that relates closely to my intended area of study, computer science.

In addition to being an engrossing educational program, I also found it to be an invaluable life experience.  All the students in the program lived on campus in a dorm for two weeks, eating in the college cafeteria and spending free time at the campus center, gym, or library, providing a clear taste of what college residence life might be like.  We were supervised by a Residential Director and several Resident Advisors who oversaw our actions, but also provided a college life simulation by supporting social interaction, another important factor in the overall experience.

By creating unique areas of study, the Summer Scholars Program groups together students with similar hobbies, interests, and academic preferences.  I easily met many new people in the Robotics group with hobbies and interests similar to mine.

I believe the Summer Scholars Program experience has made a big impact on my life and has helped prepare me for life beyond high school.  I've gained valuable academic knowledge and skills, but more importantly to me, I've had a worthwhile, enthralling living experience, both familiarizing me with college life and making friendships that will hopefully last a long time.  We will always have the learning and the fun time we shared together.

How Can I Get More Information?

If you have any questions or would like more information, which cannot be obtained from your principal or guidance counselor, please call or write:

Linda A. Heitmann
Assistant Superintendent
Educational Resources
Dutchess BOCES BETA
900 Dutchess Turnpike
Poughkeepsie, New York 12603
v: 845.486.4800
f: 845.486.4981
linda.heitmann@dcboces.org