When University students hear the word "Echols," most just think of priority class registrations and waived area requirements. But if Politics Prof. James Sofka has his way, a $5 million infusion of funds will add much more to the honors program.
"The biggest problem that we face right now is money," said Sofka, the director of the Echols Scholar program. The program selects about 8 percent of each year's incoming class.
The program currently operates on a $2,500 annual budget from the College, which Sofka compared with the University of Michigan honors program's annual budget of $2.2 million.
Sofka said he hoped increased funding for the program would encourage more prospective students who have been designated Echols scholars to choose the University.
Currently, 35 percent of students who are accepted to the Echols program actually enroll at the University. Sofka wants to bump that rate up to 50 percent, and said that much of the student attrition is due to the unavailability of funds for academic grants and research in the present program.
"The trouble is the program never has had, really, a line-item in the budget," said English Prof. Charles Vandersee, who directed the Echols Scholar program for approximately 20 years, beginning in 1973.
As the years went on, "money got progressively tighter," Vandersee said.
According to Sofka, the program currently cannot offer any kind of academic or research aid, and has limited ability to hold lecture series and other academic events.
Sofka and Vandersee are looking to the 40 years of Echols alumni to contribute the majority of the funding, with the rest of the $5 million coming from other private donors. Sofka said he hopes to accumulate the funds within three years.
Money will be directed toward both academic research and building community among the scholars.
Sofka said he wants to create a process for distributing partial grants for research performed by Echols scholars, as well as offering scholarships to make the University a viable option for students who are being offered money from other honors programs.
Sofka also aims to build a greater sense of community among the 823 Echols scholars through lecture series, intellectual gatherings and excursions. First-year Echols scholar Catherine Hauptfuhrer said she looks forward to more off-Grounds activities for the program.
"It would be fun if they could sponsor trips to D.C. and Richmond to promote intellectual inquiry," she said.
Sofka said he was optimistic about fundraising results.
"This is about the program and the students," said Sofka. "And I think it's going to work really well."
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