KU News Release

Early birds: Mount Oread scholars to walk up hill Aug. 13 at KU

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LAWRENCE — The 11th annual walk up the hill for Mount Oread Scholars is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Monday, Aug. 13. Kathryn Nemeth Tuttle, associate vice provost for Student Success, will lead the walk and provide commentary about campus history and Mount Oread, pointing out landmarks along the way.

The walk signifies the beginning of a higher education journey for the 189 Mount Oread Scholars whose ultimate goal is to walk down the hill upon graduation. Two scholars will carry the 2007 KU graduation banner to further mark this important beginning, and scholars are encouraged to wear their Mount Oread Scholars T-shirt that states, “What Goes Up, Must Come Down.”

Established in 1996, the Mount Oread Scholars Program is designed to facilitate academic connections on campus and is part of KU’s University Advising Center. New first-year students are invited to become Mount Oread Scholars during their first years at KU if they graduated in the top 20 percent of their high school classes and received an ACT composite score of at least 28 or a minimum SAT score of 1,240.

Mount Oread Scholars work individually with an adviser in their fields of interest, share class schedules to form study or discussion groups, attend scholar support sessions and enroll in relatively small classes taught by veteran faculty. There is also a Learning Community and seminar course reserved for scholars. The program’s retention rate the past two years is about 94 percent.

The walk up the hill will be followed by a continental breakfast reception at Spencer Research Library. Library staff, including Sherry Williams, interim head of Spencer Research Library, and librarian Tami Albin, will greet the students and invite them to learn more about all of KU’s libraries as they enjoy a commanding view of the Kaw River Valley from the gallery.

During the breakfast, Williams, Nemeth Tuttle, Senior Vice Provost Kathleen McCluskey-Fawcett and Mount Oread Scholars Program alumna Ava Dinges will address the scholars.

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