Academics
Eckerd College awards both Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees. While known for programs in Marine Science, Chemistry, Environmental Studies, International Business, and Creative Writing, among other subjects, Eckerd offers majors covering the entire spectrum of the liberal arts. Degree programs in 38 fields are available, along with opportunities for student-designed majors.
From its founding, the college has encouraged responsible innovation in all of its academic programs. For example, Eckerd College originated the 4-1-4 academic calendar, with the "1" representing the Winter Term during the month of January, in which each student concentrates on a single class. Before graduation, students in nearly all majors are required to either pass a senior-year comprehensive examination or to complete a senior thesis project. All students must complete a senior seminar course in their final year.
Since Eckerd faculty are encouraged to be, and many are, active scholars, numerous undergraduate research opportunities are available to students. One such long-running research effort is D.A.R.W.I.N., a computer science project (partnered closely with marine science) to automate dolphin dorsal fin recognition. A United States Geological Survey center in St. Petersburg provides further research opportunities.
Eckerd College graduates have received prestigious awards for advanced study through the Rhodes, Marshall, Hollings, Fulbright, Rotary, and National Science Foundation programs. Phi Beta Kappa (Eckerd is one of the youngest colleges in the country to be awarded a chapter) and Sigma Xi are among the nationally recognized academic societies at Eckerd College. Eckerd's Ethics Bowl teams have consistently captured awards in intercollegiate competition, winning the competition for seven straight years (2004-2011). Eckerd College is also one of only forty liberal arts schools profiled in Loren Pope's Colleges That Change Lives. Eckerd was also named one of thirteen "Institutions of Excellence in The First College Year" by the Policy Center on the First Year of College.
Supporting the academic program is the Peter H. Armacost library, a $15 million state-of-the-art facility opened in January 2005. The 55,000 sq ft (5,100 m2) two-story library is conveniently located near the college's student center and dormitories. It houses book and periodical collections and features seating for about 400, including seventeen group-study rooms and fifty-eight computer stations. Both high-speed cable and wireless connectivity are available throughout the library.
Opportunities for study-abroad are available at Eckerd College, with students having traveled to all seven continents for academic work. For over 30 years the college has maintained the Eckerd College Study Centre on London's Gower Street. Eckerd hosts a significant international student population in its traditional program, and short-term English-immersion courses are held in a dedicated on-campus facility.
Since 1980, Eckerd College has also been the home of the Leadership Development Institute that provides managers and executives with the time, tools, and setting needed to explore and strengthen their leadership skills.
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Famous quotes containing the word academics:
“Our first line of defense in raising children with values is modeling good behavior ourselves. This is critical. How will our kids learn tolerance for others if our hearts are filled with hate? Learn compassion if we are indifferent? Perceive academics as important if soccer practice is a higher priority than homework?”
—Fred G. Gosman (20th century)
“Almost all scholarly research carries practical and political implications. Better that we should spell these out ourselves than leave that task to people with a vested interest in stressing only some of the implications and falsifying others. The idea that academics should remain “above the fray” only gives ideologues license to misuse our work.”
—Stephanie Coontz (b. 1944)