CHANGE FOR GOVERNOR'S INSTITUTE ON EDUCATION

(MONTPELIER, VT) The Governor's Institute on Education is changing its name to the Governor's Institute on Education: Innovation and Leadership. "While the focus is definitely on education," program director Ethan Stephenson says, "the program has evolved in just two years to a point where we are much more interested in innovation, making change, and developing the skills necessary to take action in education. We need to change our name to more accurately reflect what we do." The program enrolled its first high-school students in 2002.

Jean Olson, executive director of the Governor's Institutes of Vermont, agreed saying, "this Institute is a terrific model of a program that is in itself innovative, starting from a personal point of view--who am I as a learner--then moving to a better understanding of current issues in education, and finally on to visions of education as it could and should be." Students in the Institute take all this information to create their personal philosophies of education. They are then asked to take action on their ideas in their schools and communities. Students in the past two years have created some amazing projects, including training their school faculty on multiple intelligences and creating a fund for low-income students to participate in out-of-school travel.

"It is important for students to understand this program is not just for those who know they want to become educators," says Stephenson. "It is a great opportunity for every student to understand better their personal learning styles and what education is really about. Everyone is a learner and everyone will become a community member. Education is for all of us."

The Governor's Institutes of Vermont offer outstanding learning opportunities for high-school students throughout Vermont. Over 5,000 students from virtually every high school in the state have participated since 1982. We offer to Vermont 10th and 11th graders summer residential programs on Vermont college campuses in Arts, Asian Cultures, Education, Science & Technology, Engineering, Mathematics & Computer Sciences, Information Technology, and Youth Activism.

Applications for summer 2004 will be available in all schools or online at www.giv.org beginning February 1, 2004.