Nov. 18, 1997 Contact Pauline Austin (541) 346-3129 Editors note: The spelling of Michal Young's name is correct. PORT ORFORD--Students in Paul Young's Pacific High School classes will get a double dose of the family passion for computers today. Michal Young, an assistant professor of computer science at the University of Oregon, will bring his love affair with computers to his brother Paul's students at the high school. The visit is part of an innovative drive to attract Oregon's best students to the UO campus. Michal is part of the Eggheads Go Home Program, a project that sends UO faculty members back to their hometown high schools to tell potential students about the university. "The University of Oregon is a top-notch research institution, and our undergraduate programs are among the best in the country. We thought students might listen a little more closely to UO professors than to professional recruiters," says Joe Stone, dean of the UO College of Arts and Sciences. Michal Young didn't go to high school in Port Orford, but in Dillard, Ore. But he believes that students at rural schools like Pacific need to hear more about Oregon's flagship university. Michal wants the students he meets to come away with two ideas about higher education. First, college is more than an economic necessity--it's the best way to connect with a new and exciting world of ideas. Second, the University of Oregon is a world class university where students learn from some of the best teachers and researchers in the world. Michal expected to be an English teacher when he graduated from the UO. Then one day in his senior year he enrolled in a computer programming class to fulfill a math requirement. "I soon found that I was spending all day on the computer instead of doing the literature assignments. It (computer programming) was the most fun thing in the world. I want to share that joy with high school students all around the state," he explains. "The University of Oregon is well known nationally as a premier college. A lot of Oregonians aren't aware of that. Even if the students I talk to don't choose Oregon, I want them to understand that one of the greatest differences between states like Tennessee and Massachusetts is the existence of a good university in your state. Massachusetts has MIT, we have the University of Oregon," he says. The visit to Pacific High School will give Michal a rare opportunity to share his enthusiasm for computers with rural students--and to catch up on old times with brother Paul. -30- #F-6030/Special Port Orford News