The Honors Program should continuously examine its approaches to attracting and retaining high-quality students.
Objective
Enhance The Honors Experience For Select Honors Students
The honors program should develop specific supports that would enhance the honors experience for the top students in the program.
Indicator
New Support And Recognition For Top Students
The Honors Program will seek to provide specific support, monetary and otherwise, for students identified as among the top in the program.
Criterion
Financial Support
The top 5% to 10% of Honors students should receive recognition and support beyond that of the other honors students.
Finding
Selection and Support of Honors Ambassadors
In 2006-07 16 Honors Ambassadors (5% of honors students)were selected through an interview process. The new Ambassadors received travel support to honors conferences and a $250.00 per-semester stipend for the services they perform.
Action
Continuation of Current Program
The Honors Ambassadors program will be continued (not expanded) in 2007. The program will seek to enhance their travel opportunities and hopes to provide other perquisites, such as Ambassador blazers and special recognition on the Honors website and at Honors events.
Goal
Improved Recruitment And Retention
The Honors Program seeks to increase its numbers without altering the acceptance criteria and to increase the retention and graduation rates of students currently in the program
Objective
Improved On-going Advising And Contact
The Honors Program seeks to improve in both contact hours and quality of contact the advice and support that in-program students receive.
Indicator
Increased Retention And Graduation Rates
Stronger in-program advising should result in higher rates of students who complete Honors requirements and not just graduate but graduate with honors.
Criterion
Increase Graduation-with-Honors rate
In the past three years, about as many honors students failed to complete honors requirements as did. For May 2006, 19 completed the requirements and 23 did not. With improved communications and advising, we should raise the completion rate by at least 10 percent.
Finding
Substantial rise in S07 completion rates.
The Honors Program completion rate for S06 was 45.2%. In S07, it was 83%. Not all of this can be ascribed to program retention efforts, but much of it can.
Indicator
Honors Contracts Completed
Currently, too few honors course contracts are completed. This directly affects honors graduation requirements.
Criterion
Direct monitoring of honors contracts
Through a program on direct contact between the honors program, students, and instructors the current rate of contract completion (62%) should be improved by at least 10%.
Finding
Elevated honors contract completion rates
After the implementation of a proactive honors contract monitoring program, with direct involvement from the honors director, the completion rate for F06 rose to 85.54%.
Action
Continuation of in-program advising effort
The in-program enhanced advising initiative is part of a comprehensive effort to improve contact, communication, and academic advising with current students. The program will continue to be assessed and adjusted as needed.
Action
Enhanced program of course contract monitoring
This program directly influenced the completion of course contracts, which has a directly positive effect on program retention. We will continue contract monitoring in 2007-08 but with increased attention to the quality of the contract experience.
Goal
Maintain A Balanced, Comprehensive Honors Academic Program
The Honors Program should regularly examine and assess the Honors curriculum to determine if it reflects adequate quality, depth, range, and balance.
Objective
Assessment Of Course Offerings
The Honors Program should regularly evaluate the range and sufficiency of honors courses.
Indicator
Determining Student Satisfaction With Current Honors Course Offerings
The Honors Program will poll Honors students to determine is there is significant dissatisfaction with current offerings and if there are suggestions for additions.
Criterion
Expanding Honors Course Offerings
Based on student response, the Honors Program should seek to add two upper-division and two lower division courses in selected majors and a second humanities seminar.
Finding
Addition of two Honors courses
The Honors Program succeeded in adding one upper-division course in Criminal Justice (CJ482H) and one lower-division course in Economics (ECO233H). The program was unable to add an upper-division Biology or a lower-division course in any other area. In addition, we lost two lower-division courses in History. In Spring 07, we added a second rotation of HON 475 (American Cultures).
Action
Continuing efforts to expand offerings
The Honors Program will seek to expand its offerings in upper-division majors. Target majors include Biology, English, and Economics.