News Release (January 17, 1968)

PAGE 1

ELEASE l\'"Ew CoLLEGE SA' ASO l'A, FLORIDA' 33578 355-7131 FOR IHNEDIATE RELEASE 1 901/17/68 Ref.: Furman C. Arthur There's nothing unusual about a New College student graduating in three years since the college offers a program leading to graduation in either three or four years. It is news, though, when a New College student plans to graduate in the record time of two years. Helen Hickey, a major from Knoxville,-Tenn., was a first-year student when she took the literature qualifying examina tion "for a lark." The qualifying exam, usually given at the end of a second year student's second term, is a rigorous testing of the student's knowledge of his chosen fiela. He must pass to be allowed to continue to study in his major field. Helen passed the exam with honors in her first year, a tribute t o her own preparation in a major field. With the help o f the office of the College Examiner, Helen made the ded.sion to try for a two -year graduation. She was able to skip the survey c ourses for majors in her field because of her passage of the qualifying exam and this helped avoid an impossible course load. more

PAGE 2

N"E\\1' COLLEGE Page2 Also, she received permission to waive one independent study project. Ordinarily, four are required for graduation. She has already completed the three projects, and has passed the language examination, another requirement for graduation. Helen now has only to turn in a satisfactory senior thesis and pass the baccalaureate examination at the end of the year to qualify for early graduation. She will be 18 when she graduates. Her thesis topic is, "A Cultural Anthology of Contenpora.ry Arr.erican. Poetry." Helen's interest in poe ry isn't purely academic. She's an accomplishe poet herself, ar.d has been published in a major national poetry quarterly as well as the Literary Supplement of the College student newspaper The Catalyst. Helen's early graduation fulfills one of the college's promises: to permit a student to pace his own education and to move ahead, even to graduate, competence is demonstrated. Despite the fact that she does not have to complete several basic courses, Helen still takes seven or eight courses per term, contrasted to a normal academic load of four courses. After graduation she plans to attend graduate school and has applied to the University of Chicago, Yale and Columbia. After graduate school she plans to teach in college, but only, she admits, 11in order to eat. Her real ambition is to write poetry. 30 -