ACADEMY PROVIDES CHALLENGE FOR STUDENTS

Northwest State University at Maryville is gearing up for its first round of students in the university's new Missouri Academy of Science, Mathematics and Computing.

As many as 50 high school juniors and seniors will converge on the campus this fall as full-time students to attend college classes in math, chemistry, computer science and other subjects for a two-year period.

"More than a dozen states have opened advanced schools that focus on math and science," said Dr. Russell Pinizzotto, dean of the school's newest academy. "Northwest is the only one in the state of Missouri to offer the new concept."

The concept was proposed by Northwest State University president Dean Hubbard and was approved last summer.

The new concept offers a challenge for bright high school students, said Pinizzotto, who was in Cape Girardeau last week to explain the new system.

Admission is based on math and science career interests, standardized test scores, teacher evaluations, family commitment and personal interviews, said Pinizzotto.

Students must be Missouri residents who will have completed geometry and algebra II by the end of their sophomore year, said Pinizzotto. "They must have minimum composite/math scores of 23 or 24 on the ACT test," he said.

These are tests that most students don't take until their junior or senior year.

Students will graduate with 65 credit hours and receive their high school diploma from the academy.

"We're targeting a very select group of students with a goal of 50 for this fall," said Pinizzotto. ""We've been spending a lot of time traveling, visiting other academies and visiting with potential students."

Pinizzotto, who started at Northwest full-time in September of last year, has worked at one of the 42 schools that offer the advanced programs in the United States. He previously worked at the Texas Academy of Mathematics and science, which was founded in the late 1980s, and has been successful with its program, graduating more than 1,300 students from the program.

"Many of the students may opt to spend the final two years of college at Maryville," he said. "Others will transfer to other universities."

Pinizzotto hopes to see the Missouri academy grow to 300 enrollment during the first five years.

"We're accepting applications now," said Pinizzotto.

Students' tuition fees, book rental and some special programs are paid for through a combination of Northwest's mission enhancement funding and some funding received from the high school's average daily attendance fund.

Students' families will be responsible for room and board, but some students could receive room-and-board scholarships.

Pinizzotto added that the Missouri Academy would have special dorm facilities for the youngster students.

"We"ll have full-time hall directors and full-time resident counselors living in the dorm," he said. "Students will be able to join college clubs, except for fraternities and sororities."