50-50 Highlights: Pacific University, Oklahoma State University, and SMU

Pacific University50-50 Colleges accept at least 50% of their applicants and have at least a 50% graduation rate. The 50-50 Highlights lists some of the distinctive features of selected institutions.

Pacific University in Oregon has developed a Business Scholars program in which students complete their degrees in three years which includes participating in co-curricular series and completing an internship. Education majors have the opportunity to teach in Mexico through a practicum experience. The Berglund Center for Internet Studies offers student fellowships for students to pursue internet related research or projects. Students gain hands-on experience in building, researching, and demonstrating sustainability through the B Street Permaculture Project. The Tom McCall Center for Policy Innovation provides students with internships opportunities and hands-on activities. The Center for Gender Equity has a sister-center relationship with a college in India that?  facilitates students and faculty exchanges.

Oklahoma State University offers undergraduates a variety of research opportunities. Incoming freshman can apply for the Freshman Research Scholars Program. The Wentz Research Program offers fifty students $4,500 grants to conduct research projects under faculty mentors. Students in the laboratory sciences can receive $8,000 grants through the Niblack Research Scholars Program. Students in The College of Engineering, Architecture, and Technology Scholars program take a ten-day tour of industry sites in Washington DC and a 14 day international tour as well as participate in leadership development opportunities. The Riata Entrepreneurial Internship Program allows students to work directly with an entrepreneur or senior executive in a high-growth company. Any student interested in starting a business can apply for help through the Cowboy Idea Hatchery, a business incubator. The Center for Information Based Bioengineering and Manufacturing offers students the chance for hands-on experience in research and outreach activities.

Students at Southern Methodist University (SMU) in Texas can create research teams to address key problems faced by the Dallas area in the Big iDeas program. The Undergraduate Research Assistantships Program allows student to work with a faculty member for ten hours a week and full-time during the summer.?  Students in The Biomedical Researchers in Training Experiences are simultaneously admitted to SMU and the University of Texas-Southwetern Medical Center Ph.D. program in biomedical sciences and includes up to three summer of paid laboratory research experience. Students can apply to complete a two-year Engaged Learning Project that addresses the needs of a population outside of SMU. Engineering students can gain hands-on experience working on projects at The Innovation Gymnasium.?  The Hart Center for Engineering Leadership provides students with internships, leadership seminars, and community engagement projects.?  The Tower Center offers student fellowships where students work with faculty to develop research projects in politics and government. The Embrey Human Rights Program Student Leadership Initiative provides students with the opportunity to manage long-term service learning projects through academic study and activism.

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