DANVILLE, KY—With the holidays behind them, students at Centre College have entered into CentreTerm—the College's innovative and exciting three-week January term.

When students at many other colleges are dragging themselves back to the same old coursework after New Year's Day, Centre students are en route to Vietnam or New Zealand or taking fascinating courses in topics ranging from "The Beatles" to "In Search of Utopia," "Islam and the Media" to "Your Automobile, Our Environment"—not to mention "Under the Influence," an examination of alcohol's effect on human culture and civilization.

Independent research, off-campus programs, and internships are the rule, not the exception, for CentreTerm. The locations for off-campus study and the courses offered change from year to year depending on the interests of students and faculty. This year's off-campus sites will allow students to explore:

• "Leadership in Crisis" in New Orleans (both the students and the teacher, Centre President Roush, will be helping with the recovery effort)
• "Tropical Ecology" in the Bahamas
• "Balkan Crossroads " in Bulgaria and Greece
• "Physical Science of Volcanoes" in New Zealand
• "The Law and Economics of American Colonialism" in Hawaii
• "Research in Primate Behavior" in Barbados

Centre is unusual among colleges with its 4-1-4 structured academic year. Students take four classes in the fall and four classes in the spring. In between, they participate in CentreTerm, three weeks of total immersion into unique, interdisciplinary subjects.

During CentreTerm, all first-year students take a freshman studies course designed to provide a small-group learning situation that engages students and faculty in an intensive intellectual experience and fosters basic educational skills—how to read critically, think logically, and communicate effectively.

The CentreTerm experience has brought a great deal of national and even international attention to the College. Two years ago, Assistant Professor of Religion David Hall's "Basketball as Religion" made national headlines, being spotlighted on National Public Radio and as a nationally syndicated Associated Press story. Stodgill Professor of Modern Languages Ken Keffer's class "The Art of Walking" was featured in the Chronicle of Higher Education and was named one of the Top Ten Odd College Courses in Microsoft’s Encarta online encyclopedia. Last year, Beau Weston's "Cafes and Public Life" was the subject of international interest, appearing in publications in virtually every corner of the globe, with a combined circulation of more than eight million.

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Founded in 1819, Centre College is ranked among the U.S. News top 50 national liberal arts colleges. Centre alumni, known for their nation-leading loyalty in annual financial support, include two U.S. vice presidents and two Supreme Court justices. For more, visit http://www.centre.edu/web/elevatorspeech/

For news archives go to http://www.centre.edu/web/news/newsarchive.html.

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