THE MACLELLAN SCHOLARS PROGRAM

THE MACLELLAN SCHOLARS PROGRAM

CULTIVATING CHRISTIAN LEADERS Covenant College seeks to prepare young men and women for Christian leadership in a variety of walks of life. While all Covenant programs aim to provide an education that will enable students to discern and excel in what God has called them to, the college also offers an experience to about a dozen students in each entering class uniquely focused on Christian leadership. This is the Maclellan Scholars Program. Maclellan Scholars are chosen for both their promise as Christian leaders and their academic record. The Maclellan Scholars Program was founded in 1988 through a generous grant from the Maclellan Foundation in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The program works to develop skills and gifts among a select group of Covenant College students that have demonstrated leadership potential. Through a rigorous course of study, and a variety of individual and group projects and activities, the Maclellan Scholars Program helps students wrestle with major issues of our time and culture, subject these issues to an intellectually rigorous and biblically informed analysis, and develop thoughtful, faithful responses. In the end, we hope that Maclellan Scholars will be well prepared to assume positions of leadership as they serve the Church and work out their callings in the broader society. PROGRAM EXPECTATIONS In order to remain in the program, Maclellan Scholars must complete each part of the MSP curriculum as it is offered, participate in an approved period of intercultural study, maintain fulltime student status, and maintain a minimum grade-point average of 3.0 (B). The Maclellan Scholars Program does not formally evaluate participation in co-curricular activities but does expect that Scholars will, according to their individual interests and abilities, participate in student government, student publications and clubs, athletic programs, outreach programs, or other community activities, and to eventually provide leadership in these activities. The program also expects that Scholars will exemplify Christian character in all of their activities while enrolled at Covenant College. Scholars agree to not only to abide by the Covenant College rules of conduct as listed in the Student Handbook, but to also take an active role in supporting those rules. Maclellan Scholars should exhibit a high degree of personal integrity as befits those who are called to serve others through leadership. MSP COURSES The Maclellan Scholars Program provides a sequence of courses designed to enhance students understanding of and capacity for Christian leadership. These courses are required of Scholars in the freshman, sophomore, and junior years. Students must complete these courses satisfactorily to continue as Maclellan Scholars. Scholars should take these courses with their entering class, but this sequence of courses may be modified for Scholars undertaking off-campus study during the sophomore or junior year. Modifications must be approved by the directors of the Maclellan Scholars Program in consultation with the Maclellan Scholars Program Committee. MSP 143. Character and Leadership Character and Leadership is a study of important characteristics of effective leaders, both in theory and in the lives of great leaders throughout history. Required of freshman Maclellan Scholars. Fall semester, three units.

WIC Lecture Course. Freshman Scholars are required to enroll for credit in the special one-unit intensive course (usually taught over three days), typically offered in the spring semester, taught by the visiting WIC lecturer. Scholars should take this requirement into account when planning spring course loads. Unlike other Mac courses, the WIC class may be taken for zero units to avoid an overload. Pass/fail. MSP 253. Leadership in Context Required of sophomore Maclellan Scholars. Leadership in Context explores issues and challenges that influence living and leading in the modern world. This course considers the ways in which leaders are situated in their specific places, responsible to other individuals, understood within community dynamics, culturally bound, and formed by their responses to opportunities. Students will hear from professors about how these issues intersect with their disciplines, as well as from community leaders. Spring semester, two units. Prerequisite: MSP 143. Internship Students are required to complete an internship for academic credit before the start of their senior year. Internships will be determined in consultation with academic advisors in students major fields, the directors of the Maclellan Scholars Program, and the staff of the Center for Career and Calling. Internships may already be required as part of certain college majors, though not all majors require an internship. Global Trends Maclellan Scholars are required to take a special section of COR 325: Global Trends before they graduate in fulfillment of this Core Curriculum requirement. This may be done during spring of their junior or senior year. Students should plan their schedules to be able to take this specific course. INTERCULTURAL STUDY GUIDELINES 1. Scholars may engage in this study at any time between the end of the freshman year and the beginning of the senior year as long as the program's budget permits. Scholars who have not completed approved intercultural study by the beginning of the senior year will not be eligible to continue receiving the Maclellan Scholarship unless given explicit approval by the director of the program. 2. Scholars in a dual-degree program must complete this requirement before the beginning of their junior year in order to continue as a Scholar. Scholars planning to graduate early should complete intercultural study at least a year before their planned graduation. 3. The Maclellan Scholars Program provides up to $2,000 per Scholar to support intercultural study. Depending on the particular kind of study chosen, some Scholars will need less, while others will need to find a source of funds beyond the $2,000 from the Program. 4. The MSP Committee expects that any study experience will last at least three weeks. Shorter experiences will generally not be approved. 5. When possible, Scholars may wish to undertake intercultural study with other Scholars so that they can encourage and learn from each other. However, the Maclellan Scholars Program desires that students have enough flexibility to participate in study programs that match their individual interests and fit their personal circumstances; therefore, Scholars may choose from opportunities approved by the Maclellan Scholars Program Committee between the end of their freshman year and the beginning of their senior year, as specified above. 6. The Maclellan Scholars Program automatically approves any college-sponsored or college-approved intercultural program of at least three weeks duration. Ordinarily such programs will be offered as a

semester abroad or during the May Term or the summer. In cases where the cost of the program is above $2,000, the Scholar is responsible for the additional costs. A Scholar who chooses a collegesponsored program must consult with the co-directors well before any MSP funds can be committed or paid. 7. Scholars who undertake study abroad for a semester in a program not sponsored by the college or an approved agency such as the CCCU must seek approval as specified in the following section. They should also consult with the directors of the program, the office of records, the director of experiential studies, and the financial aid office about an approved leave of absence from the college so that they may remain in good standing with the program and be eligible for financial aid when they return. 8. Scholars planning to undertake intercultural study in the fall semester should submit a formal proposal to the program director before the previous spring break. Those planning study for the spring semester, the following May Term, or the summer should consult with the program director before the previous fall break. 9. The academic credit received for intercultural study will vary according to the particular program and the level of a student's participation in the program. A grade of Pass/Fail is the minimum requirement, but in a regular letter grade will be awarded when applicable. 10. The Program will ordinarily be able to fund ten to twelve students each year for intercultural study. Juniors will receive preference, then other Scholars in the order of the submission of their requests to the MSP Committee. Scholars seeking approval for an individual project should consult with the director of the program before submitting a request to the MSP Committee. 11. A Scholar receiving MSP funds for intercultural study agrees to the following conditions: a. A Scholar must be in good standing with the college and the Program. b. A Scholar must enroll at Covenant for the semester following the intercultural study. A Scholar who does not return to Covenant will be obligated to repay any funds provided by the Program for intercultural study unless formally released by the Program from this obligation. c. After completing the intercultural experience, a Scholar will submit a brief report (2-3 pages) to the program director on how this experience has shaped his or her perspective on being a Christian leader. Scholarship funds for the following semester will not be released until this report is submitted and accepted. d. If a Scholar begins but does not complete the intercultural experience for which he or she has received funding, the Scholar will be required to repay to the Program a prorated portion of the funds which have been advanced. Exceptions to this policy may be granted on appeal to the MSP Committee. e. A Scholar who misses an MSP course during a semester-long intercultural experience is required to take the course the next time it is offered after his or her return to the college. GPA Eligibility for continuing as a Maclellan Scholar depends on maintaining at least a 3.0 grade-point average each year and meeting the college's other requirements for receiving a scholarship. Eligibility is reviewed at the end of each academic year. The GPA is not rounded off: a 2.99, for example, is not raised to 3.0. When necessary, Scholars may take summer courses approved by the Registrar to establish a 3.0 average by the beginning of the following academic year. Students who fail to maintain the required GPA will not be readmitted to the program.

FINANCIAL PROVISIONS 1. The stipend for Maclellan Scholars is 60% of tuition for a regular full-time load of twelve to eighteen units per semester at Covenant College. The sum is awarded each year and paid semester by semester. Scholars may not receive more than sixty percent of a semester's tuition in any semester, even in cases, such as graduating a semester early, where the Scholar will not receive the following semester's award. The majority of programs have sufficient elective hours that Scholars can enroll in at least sixteen hours per semester to complete their degree program and the required MSP courses in eight semesters. If the Scholar is maintaining at least sixteen hour schedules and is still required to take more than eighteen hours in a term, the Scholar may petition the Dean of Records to be allowed to register for additional hours without incurring additional tuition expenses. Adding classes required for a minor, second major, or as a result of changing majors late in the program will not qualify for an offset of tuition. 2. Maclellan Scholarships are awarded without regard to need. Scholars whose demonstrated financial need exceeds 60% of tuition are eligible for other forms of financial aid available to Covenant students if they file the required applications with the Financial Planning Office by the annual deadline. 3. Maclellan Scholars may generally use their scholarships for a semester of college-sponsored offcampus study programs including those of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (American Studies Program, Latin American Program, Film Studies Program, etc.) as long as they are earning credit toward graduation. Scholars desiring to participate in such programs must receive approval from the Director of Student Financial Planning and the Directors of the Maclellan Scholars Program. The college may impose some limits on this privilege. 4. Scholars in a dual-degree program with another institution will receive the Maclellan Scholarship while they are enrolled at Covenant but not when they enroll at the other institution (ordinarily after three years at Covenant). 5. In cases where financial or medical circumstances prevent a Scholar from continuing at the college, that Scholar may be allowed to reenter the program and receive the scholarship when his or her circumstances permit. A student in this situation should consult with the directors of the program and of student financial planning as soon as the circumstances become apparent, before leaving Covenant except in the case of an emergency. 6. Scholars who fail to meet the specified requirements of the program or who are dismissed from the college for disciplinary reasons will not be readmitted to the program.