History

The origins of the Rodman Scholars Program can be traced back to the abolishment of the original Honors Program in the School of Engineering and Applied Science. The Honors Program was established in 1962 and consisted of an independent studies program which could be entered during a student's third or fourth year at the University. However, it quickly fell under many criticisms. It was a costly program and put an extra strain on faculty members who worked with the Honors Student. Additionally, by 1972, only fifteen diplomas with honors had been awarded in the history of the program. After a period of debate about its continued existence, the Honors Program was abolished at a faculty meeting on September 21, 1976.

However, a committee was soon established to consider and make recommendations for a new Special Scholars Program. Dr. Mattauch of the Department of Engineering chaired the committee, which turned in its report to Dean Gibson on May 4, 1977.It consisted of an outline for a proposed program and a description of its benefits.

This new proposal differed drastically from the original Honors Program. It affected a student's first two academic years and did not include an independent study. Rather than just being an option for a student once he was already a student at the University, the new program would be a way of attracting students to the University.It also included special courses reserved solely for those students in the program, along with a recomendation to house the students in the same dorms with the Echols Scholars, the honors program of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

On October 25, 1978, the proposal was unamiously passed by the faculty. The program was to be called the Rodman Scholars Program, after Professor W. Sheldon Rodman, who had served as an outstanding professor in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. In the fall of 1979, the first class of Rodman Scholars entered the University.

The early days of the Rodman Program were much different from those of today. The program has undergone a large number of revisions, many in the mid 1980s after a Rodman Scholar named Paulette Brush did a thesis paper on how to improve the Rodman Scholar Program. For example, when the Rodman Scholars Program first began, it had a Rodman Council, as does the program of today. However, back then, the council included two student representatives from each class. Today, the council contains a total of eighteen students, elected to various positions, and no position of "class representative." Additionally, the program has come to include many social events, rather than solely academical happenings. Over time, the Rodman Scholars Program has evolved from its humble beginnings to a very impressive program, dedicated to the development of the finest engineering students.