AUSTIN, Texas – An exclusive group of alumni of the College of Natural Sciences will gather this weekend to celebrate the accomplishments of the Dean’s Scholars Honors Program’s past, present and future.
The Dean’s Scholars Honors Program was created in 1983 as an enrichment and support program for elite students in the College of Natural Sciences who were interested in research. It’s since expanded into a full-fledged, four-year degree program in which students earn a Bachelors of Science that is designated as an honors degree in any of the majors offered by the College of Natural Sciences.
Over the past 28 years Dean's Scholars have won some of the most prestigious and competitive graduate fellowships in the nation, including Marshall Scholarships, Gates Foundation Scholarships, National Science Foundation Fellowships and a Rhodes Scholarship.
“Dean’s Scholars isn’t just unique on campus,” says Alan Cline, professor of computer science and director of the program since 1992. “It’s unique in the nation. There are science honors programs at other universities, but none that are as exclusive, and none that grant degrees.”
Among the accomplishments that will be celebrated at this year’s reunion, which is the third in the program’s history, are those of Cline, who’s stepping down as director.
“Alan Cline has built the Dean’s Scholars program into a world-recognized program for developing leading scholars and researchers in the sciences,” says David Hillis, a professor of biology who will be taking over from Cline as director. “His personal dedication to the program shows in every aspect of the program’s success. He will be a hard act to follow.”
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