Maestro Summer Program

PUEBLO – For the third straight year, students can experience an innovative model of instruction during a summer residential program for which they can earn up to 12 credit hours from Colorado State University-Pueblo. CSU-Pueblo will offer the “MAESTRO” Summer Program from July 9-August 10 for a maximum of 40 students who are interested in earning college credit while participating in a unique, hands-on curriculum and exploring the Southwest during day-long Saturday excursions.

The cost of the 35-day program is $2900 per person, which covers room, board, tuition, books, and all off-campus trips to historical and industrial sites in Southern Colorado. Students may earn General Education credits in English and Science (including a lab) plus elective credits in University Studies and Outdoor Pursuits as part of the program. Acceptance to CSU-Pueblo and an enrollment deposit for the fall 2018 semester at CSU-Pueblo are required prior to registering for the MAESTRO Summer Program. The priority deadline for enrollment is June 18, 2018. Financial aid may be used to cover the total cost of the program.

According to Dr. Donna Souder Hodge, executive director of the Center for Teaching and Learning, the curriculum will employ a “one-room schoolhouse” model of instruction: three tenured or tenure-track faculty (in English and Exercise and Health Promotions) will work together to simultaneously offer two academic emphasis areas that will engage students in hands-on learning opportunities and regional excursions connected to the unique thematic histories and modern contexts of the Southwest. Students will write argumentative essays and journal daily – all in preparation for the larger college essays to come. Additionally, students will learn and incorporate academic expectations and personal wellness methods in order to better understand the arguments and personal histories they will contemplate in class. 

Campus move in will occur the morning of Sunday, July 8 with mandatory program orientation in the afternoon. Classes begin July 9. The first all-day excursion will occur on Saturday, July 14; coursework will conclude August 9 with move out on August 10. Classes will run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., including tutoring, one-on-one advising, and a one-hour lunch break. These class days will include guest speakers and films, visits to museums, historical sites, and outdoor locations of natural beauty, as well as hands-on activities including, but not limited to, academic and personal skill-building experiences.  This program will end with a student-led and created symposium, during which students will make an argument for the importance of cross- and inter-disciplinary, hands-on learning and enrichment.

The daily schedule will be as follows:

• Mondays and Tuesdays: Journaling, Lectures, Innovative Critical Discussions, and Group Work
• Wednesday: Hands-on Creating, Films, Guest Lectures
• Thursdays and Fridays: “Connecting the Personal to the Academic”
• Saturdays: All-Day Excursions
• Sundays: Tutoring and Discussion Groups

For more information on the summer program, contact MAESTRO Program Coordinator, Dr. Derek Lopez, at 719-549-2535 or at derek.lopez@csupueblo.edu. Visit the Center for Teaching and Learning online in order to read more about the program, meet the summer faculty, and see more about the weekly excursions at www.csupueblo.edu/CTL