Loan Program gets an overhaul

Banks will no longer be middlemen Beginning next fall, 40 students from the Class of 1998 can be the first to enroll in a new joint degree international studies program between the College and the Wharton School. The program is one of the first of its kind in both the country and in the Ivy League, said Wharton Vice Dean Janice Bellace. "The joint degree program will be a catalyst for further globalization at an undergraduate level," Bellace said. The program is an international studies curriculum designed to introduce a core group of students committed to international studies, create an innovative curricular partnership between Wharton and the College and become a leader in international management education at the undergraduate level, Bellace said. Students will fulfill much of both the College's general requirement and Wharton's requirements through a rigorous 40 credit unit requirement. They will have little or no room for electives. "It's a very special program," said College Dean Matthew Santirocco. "We're even designing courses just for the program to give it an international tilt." Since the program's concentration is international studies, Bellace said all enrolled students will be required to take a semester abroad and achieve a high level of proficiency in the language of their choice. "We expect students to be fairly proficient in their language before they enter Penn," Bellace said. Santirocco said students will be able to pick from a number of languages. Freshmen who apply to the new program will have to show that they have had a serious interest in international studies throughout high school. "We are hoping to attract the best and brightest students in the country," Santirocco said. When the Wharton curriculum was changed three years ago, it was made harder for students to achieve a dual degree from the College and Wharton. That difficulty is one of the reasons for the new degree. Bellace said the program is modeled after the Management and Technology program which has been very successful in the last decade. That program offers a dual degree between Wharton and the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. The program's organizers have not yet named a director.