Proposed Honors Program

1. Proposed Honors Program Honors Strategic Planning Committee: Keri Keith, Andre Mooney, Chuck Lura, Luann Soland, Katie Rages and Steve Sathre

2. Criteria for Admission • If entering from High School – a 3.25 cumulative GPA and/or 22 ACT Composite Score • If entering with college credits- a 3.0 GPA with at least 15 college credits earned • To remain in the program students must maintain a 3.25 cumulative GPA • To enter, students must fill out an application to make the college and advisor aware that they are participating in the program.

3. Delivery Method • A separate section worth 1 credit should be added to the schedule. For instance, students can register for US History 104 - an honors student would register for the regular 3 credit HIST 104 class plus a 1 credit HIST 104(H) section that will be available for Honors students only. • The committee feels that it is important that the Honors students participate in the general section of the course. This will add to the course for all students and will allow the students and instructor to follow the objectives and assessment for the course. The additional 1 credit Honors section will be added in the same way that we add Lab sections so that the Honors section can create a separate syllabus and set of objectives to correlate back to the original course. • The courses will be open to Freshmen and Sophomores who meet the criteria for the Honors Program.

4. Program academic and credit requirements • The Honors section will be worth 1 credit for each course that has an Honors section assigned. • Students can graduate from the “Honors Program” with the completion of 4 Honors credits total on their transcript. In order to complete the “Honors Program” – students must graduate with a total of 4 Honors Credits. • Students do not need to complete the entire program to take Honors courses. If the student meets the requirements of the program, students may enroll in the Honors sections being offered each semester.

5. Instituting the Program • To begin, the program will start small. That way we can see what type of student interest there is for the program, and to allow instructors the time to create the type of Honors section that works best for the course that is part of the program. The committee sought out recommendations from faculty across the various General Education Departments proposes the following schedule to begin the program over the next two years.

6. From English and Social Sciences: Fall: ENGL 220 – Introduction to Literature - Porter Spring: HIST 104- United States History Since 1877 – Sathre Fall: HUM 101- Introduction to Humanities - Albrightson Spring: PSYC 250 Developmental Psychology or PSYC 270 Abnormal Psychology – Kvasnicka From Math and Sciences: Fall: BIOL 220 (Anatomy and Physiology I) Spring: BOT 212 (Botany II) Fall: CHEM 121 (General Chemistry I) Spring: BIOL 221 (Anatomy and Physiology II) or MATH 240 (Applied Statistics)

7. Arrange activities or events for special recognition • We foresee these students being active in Phi Theta Kappa. So – we could tie the Honors Program Awards or recognitions in with Phi Theta Kappa banquets. • We do suggest that this is bundled as a “program” that a student can complete and graduate with the “Honors Program” distinction on their transcripts. • We also recommend something specific for graduation regalia in recognition of completing the honors program, as well as a specific designation in the program to show that they have completed the Honors Program.

8. Transfer and Scholarship Ideas • We would like to work with other NDUS Colleges to create a transfer of the Honors Program. If a student is transferring into a 4-year college that also offers an Honors Program we would like to see that transfer work seamlessly. At this point we would need perhaps the Academic Dean or our Student Service office work on that issue. • We would like to see a scholarship tied specifically to the Honors Program. We believe that a scholarship tied to the program will create more interest in completing the program and provide financial incentive to complete the program.

9. Marketing and Promotion • Creation of a scholarship to the program will generate interest. • Promotion through our Dual Credit courses to reach the academically talented High School Seniors who are already attending our college through Dual Credit courses. • Addition to the DCB View book and College Catalog • Admission Reps discussing the Honors Program with incoming Freshmen • Partnering with High School Honor Society groups to make High School Seniors aware that DCB has a program to cater to their Honors needs.

10. Notes to Consider • We believe that to begin, the program should start small, then as interest grows we can add more classes. • We reviewed programs at other small/2 year colleges and found that when they started their Honors Programs and coursework, they began with only a handful of courses, and as interest grew they continued to grow and add more courses to the Honors offerings. • Offering Honors courses will affect courseload, and as the program grows this will need to be considered. Through growth of the program, we hope to see a specific scholarship and or transfer scholarship for students who are enrolled in and complete the program

11. Timeline January –May 2012 • Present Honors Program Criteria and suggested courses to Faculty Senate for approval • Decide which courses will be offered in Fall 2012 and ensure instructor interest and availability (suggestions are included in the proposal) • Offer courses to participating faculty and add courses to the Fall 2012 schedule • Decide how the courses will be coded for registration, transcript and for transfer to other schools with Honors Programs • Seek scholarship funds to generate interest for students to enroll in the Honors Program • Work to better understand how the Honors Program credits can transfer to other institutions who offer an Honors Program (Academic Dean or Registrar)

12. Summer 2012 • Creation of application form for students to enroll in Honors Program • Creation of information to be made available to advisors to advise incoming students of the Honors Program • Work with admissions to ensure that students who meet the requirements of the program are made aware of the honors course offerings

13. Fall 2012 – Spring 2013 • Track student enrollment to determine growth needs to project for scheduling in 2013-2014 school year • Work with instructors to understand the impact that this has on their course load • Assess program to see if there are additional courses to add to the program • Decide upon graduation regalia that can be used to denote “Honors Program” graduate at future graduations. • Creation of a banquet to honor Honors Program Students (perhaps tied in with Phi Theta Kappa) • Work to further promote the program. Advertising, notification of our “Dual Credit” students to encourage our high achieving students to look to DCB for their education and completion of the Honors Program • Partner with high school Honor Societies to promote our honors programs to graduating high school seniors.

14. Assessment Instructors who teach in the Honors Program should be required to complete assessments on the work that is being completed. Honors sections should also be included in the evaluation process, so that DCB may understand the students perception of the value of the course. If needed , a separate evaluation could be created for Honors Course evaluations.

15. Summary The goal of this program is to attract and offer courses specifically for our academically talented students. An honors program will allow our students to further delve into their studies and allow students to be part of an honors program while attending a 2 year college. DCB will be the first 2 year college in North Dakota to offer an honors program. This has the potential to assist DCB in recruiting academically talented students to our campus as further academic rigor will be offered in these courses. The program will start small, but have the room to grow as student interest and course load considerations are taken into consideration. There is also opportunity to tie the honors program into scholarship opportunities as well as a natural pairing with Phi Theta Kappa on campus.