EUGENE–The University of Oregon’s Freshman Interest Group (FIG) program has been recognized as one of the nation’s top character-building programs for first-year college students.

Cited for its exemplary encouragement of character development, the FIG program is listed in this year’s edition of "The Templeton Guide: Colleges that Encourage Character Development." The guidebook for students, parents and educators who believe that character matters, just published by the John Templeton Foundation of Radnor, Pa., profiles 405 college programs, 50 college presidents, and 100 colleges and universities that inspire students to lead ethical and civic-minded lives.

"We are very pleased to be recognized nationally because it’s a confirmation of our interest in developing our students, intellectually and in other ways as well," says Jack Bennett, FIG program director in the UO Office of Academic Advising and Student Services. "At the UO we recognize that education is not only education of the intellect, but also a process of developing character."

The UO FIG program offers groups of 25 first-year and transfer students the opportunity to take three or four thematically linked classes that usually include a faculty-taught college experience seminar. A key feature in helping new students adapt both academically and socially to the university environment are weekly meetings with returning student mentors who model attitudes and behaviors of self-control and moderation. FIG students address issues of academic integrity, participating in the university and local communities and issues of citizenship and responsibility.

"The FIG program creates a community where students help each other and where faculty show they are interested in the success of the students," says Bennett. "It helps show we care."

He says program administrators currently are using grant monies to encourage faculty to work together to develop more cross-disciplinary FIGs and to increase the number of year-long FIG experiences for new students.

More than 300 four-year public and private universities are included in "The Templeton Guide." Individual programs were selected in the following categories: First-Year; Academic Honesty; Faculty and Curriculum; Volunteer Service; Substance-Abuse Prevention; Student Leadership; Spiritual Growth; Civic Education; Character and Sexuality; and Senior-Year.

For more information about the UO FIG program, visit http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~osrp/lc/fig/index.htm or call (541) 346-1080. Information about the John Templeton Foundation’s College and Character Initiative is available at http://www.collegeandcharacter.org.

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