USC College Dean Joseph Aoun congratulates freshman Ishwar Bridgelal upon winning the Dean’s Prize for the Enrichment of Student Academic Life. Bridgelal's winning submission proposed a new interdisciplinary minor in
mental health and wellness.
Photo Credit: Steve Cohn
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USC College Dean’s Prize Winners Announced
Student suggestions for a new minor and two new courses win College competition
By Eva Emerson
April 2006
What do students think would make for a better USC College? That’s the
question at the heart of the USC College Dean’s Prize for the
Enrichment of Student Academic Life.
This year’s winning proposals, announced April 20 during the annual
College Scholarship Luncheon, included a career-skills course for
liberal arts students, a mental health and wellness minor and a
“radically interdisciplinary” course exploring the construction of
alternative realities.
The winners were chosen from a total of 53 submissions.
Joseph Aoun, dean of USC College, launched the competition last year as
a way to encourage students to take a more active role in their own
educations. The proposals can cover any aspect of the student academic
experience.
“We wanted to give students a chance to help guide the future of the
College,” said Aoun. “The Dean’s Prize opens the door for students to
tell us what changes we could make that they think are the most
important, the most urgent or the most exciting. The students have been
extremely creative in their suggestions.”
Peter Starr, dean of undergraduate programs in the College,
congratulated the authors of the three winning proposals and presented
each with a $500 check during the luncheon held at Town and Gown.
The competition “succeeded far beyond our expectations,” said Starr, who oversaw the program.
Freshman Ishwar Bridgelal was recognized for his proposal to establish
a new undergraduate minor focused on mental health and wellness, to
include courses from psychology, biology, philosophy, religion and
English. Starr praised the creative writing and biological sciences
major for a well-crafted proposal that incorporated peer mentoring and
undergraduate research in forward-thinking ways.
Senior Merci Hammon created a QuickTime movie, called “Simultaneous
Realities,” to present her idea. The creative writing student
envisioned a course exploring the nature of reality and truth from the
perspectives of philosophy, physics, neuroscience, anthropology,
religion and media studies. The course would examine the ways in which
interactive media and video games create alternative realities. It
would culminate in the public display of student projects aimed at
conveying a sense of “multiple realities” around the University Park
campus.
Starr said the College received a number of submissions addressing
students’ desire for more hands-on career preparation. But senior Brad
Johnson’s proposal, “A Step Up: Career Skills Development and the
College of Letters, Arts & Sciences,” offered the most articulate
and compelling vision of what this might look like.
Johnson, a biological sciences and political sciences major, suggested
introducing a two-unit, seminar-style course, offered in conjunction
with the university’s Career Planning and Placement Center, to teach
students how to shape their resumes, prepare for interviews and
negotiate job offers.
His motivation came from a realization that many students “have no idea
how [their major] translates to the real world. I’m hoping that the
career skills course will give liberal arts majors a place to start
toward applying their College degree to today’s dynamic job market,” he
said.
“Overall, I think the competition is a great opportunity for the
College to tailor its services to its students,” Johnson said. “I’m
definitely excited about the prospect of working with Dean Starr to
make the career-skills class a reality.”
New minors and classes must be reviewed and approved by College
departments and the university’s curriculum committee, so students will
not be able to sign up for any of the new offerings immediately, Starr
said.
“But look for the realization of these three superb ideas in the year to come,” Starr added.
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