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S. Palen (U. of Washington)
Ten years ago, the University of Washington had 10 astronomy majors. This year, that number is just shy of 90---the largest number of astronomy majors in any institution in the world. This phenomenal growth of the number of majors can be traced to three specific actions taken by the Astronomy Department. First, we examined and then altered our curriculum to provide opportunities for hands-on research. Second, we obtained funding from an unusual source to give our students unprecedented access to astronomical equipment and computing power. Third, we created a personal environment in which the students feel welcome and at home in our very large (35,000 students) research-oriented university. This astounding growth has brought with it a whole new set of challenges. I will explain in more detail how we have achieved this growth, and how we are attempting to meet the resulting challenges.