EDITORIAL: Preceptorials are standout success

Despite limited space, the number of students lining up to take the no-credit seminars is refreshing. The large number of students who applied for this semester's batch of short, non-credit seminars is truly refreshing. It's nice to know that so many people are enthusiastic about learning, even without the concrete reward of a letter grade. For five semesters, SCUE has continually come up with an interesting and wide range of preceptorial topics -- from "The Stock Enigma" to "A Day at the Beach" -- and convinced a number of prominent faculty members to participate. The success has reverberated even beyond campus; The New York Times noted the program in an article over the summer, and other universities are looking to implement their own versions of the preceptorial model. It would seem, perhaps, that the SCUE preceptorials have been such an unqualified triumph that they have become a victim of their own success. With room for only 270 students, the vast majority of the 3,500 applicants were unfortunately closed out of the seminars this semester. SCUE should, of course, continue to encourage as many faculty members as possible to offer preceptorials in coming semesters. But beyond what has been done in the past, it is worth evaluating the topics previously offered as preceptorials to gauge how many might be converted into interesting for-credit seminars. The popularity of the preceptorials speaks to the fact that there is something students aren't currently getting in their regular courses, namely an opportunity to interact closely with renowned professors in a somewhat relaxed atmosphere. Trying to incorporate some of the benefits of preceptorials into for-credit classes would greatly boost the University's current course offerings.