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already made significant progress in this area, and we expect to have this problem solved
in the near future. We must also pursue a comprehensive evaluation of USP, and we
must be prepared to modify and revise the program to whatever extent necessary in order
to provide a quality general education curriculum appropriate for a Research I University.
Equally important, we must continue our steady progress in upgrading our classrooms
and in providing state-of-the-art computer facilities for instruction.

       The second component of the action plan is intended to engage first-year students
more effectively in the university experience. The goal here is for students to connect to
the University in stronger, more meaningful ways. As a consequence, retention rates and
graduation rates should improve dramatically. UK currently lags significantly behind the
19 benchmarks in these measures that negatively impact UK's overall reputation and
ranking. By providing a quality first-year experience for every student, we will improve
retention and graduation rates and also increase student motivation, inspiration,
satisfaction and preparation for success.

       Each student will have a choice from among several first-year experiences. Some
will choose UK- 101, which is a traditional university orientation course. This program
began with 4 sections in 1989 and will include 47 sections by 2000 that will serve nearly
1000 first-year students. Not only do students express high regard for this course, but it
also has a significant impact on retention. There is a 5% difference in the first-year
retention rates for students who take UK-1O1 relative to students who do not. A second
option for students will be Discovery Seminars. The idea here is to have leading UK
scholars present lively seminars to first-year students in classes limited to 25 or fewer
students. Topics for these seminars reflect the research or scholarly interests of the
faculty and represent issues and problems that students find stimulating and attractive.
Students are inspired by the content and pedagogy of these seminars, but they also
appreciate the opportunity to interact with faculty in a very positive fashion. UK will
offer 15 seminars in Fall 2000, and the goal is to increase the number of these seminars to
at least 40 by 2002.

       Increasing undergraduate participation in research is a third kind of first-year
experience available to students at UK. We currently have pockets of success where
students work directly and closely with faculty, graduate students, and post-doctoral
scholars as members of collaborative research teams. These research projects provide
undergraduates excellent learning opportunities that stimulate and inspire students in
ways that cannot be achieved in the classroom. Equally important, faculty find these
experiences to be among the most exciting and rewarding teaching experiences. To
enhance undergraduate research as a first-year experience, we propose the University
Research Program; a collaborative project sponsored by the Vice President for Research
and Graduate Studies and the Office of Undergraduate Studies. This program, which is
similar to that at the University of Michigan, will allow first-year students an opportunity
to work on research projects under the sponsorship of faculty across the University. In
addition to hands-on research experience, students will attend a one-hour/week seminar
designed to enhance study skills, orient students to the University, and introduce basic
concepts of research. We also propose enhanced funding of the Undergraduate Research