Open house Nov. 12 for top high school students wanting to earn college credit

Gifted high school-aged students can earn up to two years of college credit while still in high school through North Central College’s Lederman Scholars Program. Prospective students and their parents are invited to learn more at an open house from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 12, in the College’s Smith Hall at Old Main, 30 N. Brainard St. Registration begins at 6 p.m.

Students who are home-schooled and from all area high schools are eligible to apply. Admission to the Lederman Scholars Program is based on academic ability. Applicants should be enrolled in honors course work and be among the top 5 percent of students in their classes or have a minimum composite ACT score of 30 or a minimum total SAT score of 1350.

If accepted as Lederman Scholars, students pursue a rigorous curriculum among their peers and traditional-aged college students. When students successfully complete a minimum of nine credit hours, their work along with credit earned through Advanced Placement will be posted to their North Central College transcript.

While most students enroll for just a few courses, others earn two-plus years of fully transferable college credit. Lederman Scholars have subsequently enrolled at North Central College, Carnegie Mellon, Cornell, Vanderbilt and the University of Illinois, among other prestigious institutions.

The program director and academic advisor is Dr. Richard Wilders, North Central’s Marie and Bernice Gantzert Professor in the Liberal Arts and Sciences, professor of mathematics and chair of the Division of Science. Wilders works with parents and high school personnel to create programs of study for each scholar.

The Lederman Scholars Program honors Dr. Leon Lederman, winner of the 1988 Nobel Prize for Physics, along with Melvin Schwartz and Jack Steinberger for their research on neutrinos, and director emeritus of Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory.

Students with extraordinary ability in one or more academic areas who don’t meet the Lederman program criteria can apply to the Community Scholars Program, which offers another opportunity to earn college credit during high school.

For more information about the Community Scholars or Lederman Scholars programs contact Wilders at 630-637-5234 or rjwilders@noctrl.edu. For information or to register for the Nov. 12 Lederman open house visit northcentralcollege.edu/admission/lederman-scholars or contact Ashley Dudich, assistant director of admission, at 630-637-5813 or apdudich@noctrl.edu.