Unusual Programs Bring Attention to Colleges
2023-01-25
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1Many colleges in the United States offer unusual learning programs for their students.
2Some teach students how to use robots in medical operations.
3Others let them use million-dollar supercomputers to study data.
4A small college in Kansas offers its students the chance to work with old cars that might one day sell for nearly $1 million.
5It is McPherson College, and it has a study program, or major, in automotive restoration.
6Restoration means returning something to its original condition.
7The restoration major teaches students who are interested in repairing cars a little bit of engineering, history, business, communication and art.
8The school believes it is the only one in the country with a four-year bachelor's degree in automotive restoration.
9The McPherson study program started in 1976 when a local businessman gave the school part of his classic car collection.
10At the time, he could not find people who could work on old cars.
11In 1988, the college considered dropping the program.
12But American comedian Jay Leno, who owns many classic cars, changed their mind when he gave some money to the program.
13And last November, McPherson received a monetary gift that could reach $500 million, the biggest donation in the college's history.
14For the last six years, McPherson students have been restoring a 1953 Mercedes 300S.
15They are hoping to enter the car next summer in the famous Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance car show.
16One student at McPherson is Jeremy Porter.
17He was thinking about studying chemical engineering, including at some of the Ivy League schools.
18"But there was nothing inherently unique about them," he said.
19Visiting the school convinced him that he wanted to work with his hands in the automotive restoration program.
20Victoria Bruno is graduating this year.
21She already has a job waiting in Los Angeles.
22She will be rebuilding Ferrari engines.
23She said the students at McPherson are "doing something we love."
24Michael Schneider, the president of McPherson, is also a graduate of the college.
25He said, "There's an entire culture around the classic car, and at the center of that world is McPherson College."
26He said McPherson gets students who want to work on cars in the same way a school like Massachusetts Institute of Technology brings in students who want to study science.
27"Students can't wait to come to McPherson and study the car," he said.
28They work on cars outside of school hours and travel to car events around the U.S.
29They build their network and get jobs.
30At a time when other colleges and universities in the U.S. are struggling for students, McPherson College now has 18 percent more students today than five years ago.
31Each year, the school which has 851 students, could only accept half of those who want to get into the automotive restoration program.
32Schneider said the money from the large gift will help the school expand.
33Some students who would not have been able to pay for school will get financial aid.
34He noted the restoration program brings students to the college,
35but sometimes they decide to do something else when they get there.
36Colin Koproske is a lead researcher at EAB, a company that studies higher education.
37He said more schools are getting similar instead of trying to be different.
38For example, there are now more than 400 study programs in cybersecurity at American colleges.
39McPherson's interest in growing its automotive restoration program is similar to some colleges around the U.S.
40Others include writing at the University of Iowa, journalism at the University of Missouri, music at Oberlin College, and songwriting at Middle Tennessee State University.
41The songwriting program at Middle Tennessee State University has in past years attracted more out-of-state students than any other department, said Beverly Keel, dean of the College of Media and Entertainment.
42"People come here just for that."
43"It's not enough to be different," she added.
44"You have to be very good at what you do. You have to be the best at it."
45Koproske said the attention can be helpful.
46"I don't know if they're making money off these things," Koproske said of the majors.
47"But, man, are they on the map because of them."
48I'm Dan Friedell. And I'm Faith Pirlo.
1Many colleges in the United States offer unusual learning programs for their students. 2Some teach students how to use robots in medical operations. Others let them use million-dollar supercomputers to study data. 3A small college in Kansas offers its students the chance to work with old cars that might one day sell for nearly $1 million. It is McPherson College, and it has a study program, or major, in automotive restoration. Restoration means returning something to its original condition. 4Automotive restoration program 5The restoration major teaches students who are interested in repairing cars a little bit of engineering, history, business, communication and art. The school believes it is the only one in the country with a four-year bachelor's degree in automotive restoration. 6The McPherson study program started in 1976 when a local businessman gave the school part of his classic car collection. At the time, he could not find people who could work on old cars. 7In 1988, the college considered dropping the program. But American comedian Jay Leno, who owns many classic cars, changed their mind when he gave some money to the program. And last November, McPherson received a monetary gift that could reach $500 million, the biggest donation in the college's history. 8For the last six years, McPherson students have been restoring a 1953 Mercedes 300S. They are hoping to enter the car next summer in the famous Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance car show. 9One student at McPherson is Jeremy Porter. He was thinking about studying chemical engineering, including at some of the Ivy League schools. "But there was nothing inherently unique about them," he said. Visiting the school convinced him that he wanted to work with his hands in the automotive restoration program. 10Victoria Bruno is graduating this year. She already has a job waiting in Los Angeles. She will be rebuilding Ferrari engines. She said the students at McPherson are "doing something we love." 11Michael Schneider, the president of McPherson, is also a graduate of the college. He said, "There's an entire culture around the classic car, and at the center of that world is McPherson College." 12He said McPherson gets students who want to work on cars in the same way a school like Massachusetts Institute of Technology brings in students who want to study science. 13"Students can't wait to come to McPherson and study the car," he said. They work on cars outside of school hours and travel to car events around the U.S. They build their network and get jobs. 14At a time when other colleges and universities in the U.S. are struggling for students, McPherson College now has 18 percent more students today than five years ago. Each year, the school which has 851 students, could only accept half of those who want to get into the automotive restoration program. 15Schneider said the money from the large gift will help the school expand. Some students who would not have been able to pay for school will get financial aid. He noted the restoration program brings students to the college, but sometimes they decide to do something else when they get there. 16Being different 17Colin Koproske is a lead researcher at EAB, a company that studies higher education. He said more schools are getting similar instead of trying to be different. For example, there are now more than 400 study programs in cybersecurity at American colleges. 18McPherson's interest in growing its automotive restoration program is similar to some colleges around the U.S. Others include writing at the University of Iowa, journalism at the University of Missouri, music at Oberlin College, and songwriting at Middle Tennessee State University. 19The songwriting program at Middle Tennessee State University has in past years attracted more out-of-state students than any other department, said Beverly Keel, dean of the College of Media and Entertainment. "People come here just for that." 20"It's not enough to be different," she added. "You have to be very good at what you do. You have to be the best at it." 21Koproske said the attention can be helpful. "I don't know if they're making money off these things," Koproske said of the majors. "But, man, are they on the map because of them." 22I'm Dan Friedell. And I'm Faith Pirlo. 23Dan Friedell adapted this report for Learning English based on a story by The Hechinger Report, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education. 24________________________________________________________________ 25______________________________________________________________ 26Words in This Story 27original-adj. something that is in the same condition it was when new 28bachelor's degree -n. a degree given after four years of higher education 29classic-adj. something that has been considered excellent for a long time 30inherent -n. belonging to the basic nature of something, an internal idea or belief 31unique-adj. different from others 32convince-v. to talk someone into an idea, or to argue for something's value 33graduate-v. to finish a study program and move on to something else 34cybersecurity-n. the field of making data safe on computers 35on the map-phrase. to make a mark, to establish something as real or important 36______________________________________________________________ 37We want to hear from you. 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