Selecting Distinguished Scholars

American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical and Petroleum Engineers, Inc. This paper was prepared for the 42nd Annual Fall Meeting of the Society of Petroleum Engineers of AIME, to be held in Houston, Tex., Oct. 1–4, 1967. Permission to copy is restricted to an abstract of not more than 300 words. Illustrations may not be copied. The abstract should contain conspicuous acknowledgment of where and by whom the paper is presented. Publication elsewhere after publication in the JOURNAL OF PETROLEUM TECHNOLOGY or the SOCIETY OF PETROLEUM ENGINEERS JOURNAL is usually granted upon request to the Editor of the appropriate journal provided agreement to give proper credit is made. Discussion of this paper is invited. Three copies of any discussion should be sent to the Society of Petroleum Engineers office. Such discussion may be presented at the above meeting and, with the paper, may be considered for publication in one of the two SPE magazines. Introduction In August, 1967, an analysis was made of information pertaining to present and past participants of the Petroleum and Geological Engineering "Honors Scholars" Program at the University of Oklahoma. This study was conducted for the purpose of discovering ways to determine the scholastic success of a prospective honor scholar and to enable more accurate selection future participants. Included in this study is a listing of information concerning each student's ACT (American College Test) standard scores and grade point average. Letters and questionnaires were sent to each student, and through the students' cooperation, much of the data was collected. This paper describes the background of the Honors-Distinguished Scholars Program at OU, discusses the findings about the students in the study, gives an analysis of the information, and offers suggestions for further improving the selection of honor scholars. It should be noted that this is an initial report. As the program continues more inclusive information may be gathered about the scholars' university program, industry achievement, and the quality of their success. BACKGROUND OF THE HONORS PROGRAM In 1963, believing that outstanding high school students should be given the opportunity of participating in and gaining from a highly enriched educational experience, members of the faculty in the Oklahoma University School of Petroleum and Geological Engineering began thinking of ways to unite further the student in Petroleum Engineering and the petroleum industry in which the student expected someday to work. Noting that the school already had a scholarship program established with many participating petroleum companies, the Petroleum Engineering faculty devised a program which would permit stronger involvement of both the student and the company. The "Honors Scholars" Program was thus initiated in the Fall of 1964. Requirements for Admittance to the Program The requirements for admittance to the honors program are high in order to insure outstanding performance of the participants.