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Rhythms and Currents in 2010
Many of us face reduced endowments and various fiscal restraints in our
programs and travel budgets this year. Have you come up with
creative ways to address a tightened budget or reduced staff? If
so, consider proposing a roundtable presentation for the 2010 NCHC
conference!
How
are you sustaining your programs as others on your campus are being
targeted? Times like these are when we most need to improvise by
using our accumulated knowledge and experiences to address the threats
to our programs, and one of the ways we best collaborate with other
honors professionals is by presenting and participating at the national
conference.
Are we adequately preparing our students for
their own uncertain futures? How can we best prepare them?
Share your ideas, network and collaborate with colleagues at other
campuses through a committee arranged session.
What have
your students accomplished in your program that they can share through
a poster session, Interdisciplinary Research Panel or Master
Class?
What better time to come together, share our
expertise, and give our students an experience that will help them gain
the professional skills and confidence they need for the uncertain
future ahead. Imagine over 1,500 creative, well-educated minds converging on Kansas City this October! When we work together, our programs and colleges thrive, our students and faculty achieve, and NCHC flourishes.
The conference submission deadline has been extended. Submissions will be accepted until February 26, 2010, at 5:00pm CST. Consider sharing what you have learned with your colleagues.
Bonnie Irwin for the 2010 Conference Committee
bdirwin@eiu.edu |
Call for Spring Portz Grant Proposals
Application deadline: March 15, 2010
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The
NCHC Awards & Grants Committee would like to invite interested NCHC
institutions and professional members to submit an application for a
Portz grant. These grants are intended to support Honors
program/college innovation and can be small, up to $500, or large, up
to $1,000.
To apply, submit the Portz Grant Application Form and
supporting narrative to Kate Bruce by March 15, 2010. Applications that
demonstrate clearly the way in which the proposed innovation will be of
benefit beyond the confines of the institution's own Honors
program/college are normally favored as are applications that
demonstrate commitment of the institution's own funds.
The
narrative statement should address the way in which a Portz grant will
help your Honors program/college in terms of one or more of the Basic
Characteristics of a Fully-Developed Honors Program. Portz Grant
award recipients are expected to present the results of their grants at
an NCHC or regional honors conference.
Information regarding Past Portz Grant recipients is available here.
For questions or more information, please contact Kate Bruce. |
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NCHC Committee on Diversity Issues
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The
last five years have been incredibly full for the Diversity Issues
Committee and have been marked by tremendous growth. Beginning in St.
Louis in 2005, Committee Chair Dr. Lisa Coleman (Southeastern Oklahoma
State University) has been coordinating a strong presence from this
important, though sometimes neglected, facet of honors education. The
Diversity Issues Committee has worked to have a Diversity Forum
included in the conference schedule in St. Louis-2005, Philadelphia-
2006, Denver-2007, and co-programmed with the International Education
Committee for a forum in Washington, D.C.-2009. Coleman worked with
Conference Chair Hallie Savage (Clarion University) to secure funding
to bring Dr. Finnie Coleman (University of New Mexico) as the keynote
speaker for a standing-room-only address as the keynote for the 2007
Diversity Forum in Denver.
In 2009, Coleman was joined by Co-Chair Jonathan Kotinek
(Texas A&M University) as the Diversity Issues Committee drew upon
the energy and enthusiasm generated from the extended attention to
diversity at our annual meetings. Committee meetings at the last three
conferences have averaged over twenty in attendance; the passionate
discussion and sustained interest indicate how important the issue of
diversity is to our membership.
Over the last four years, Coleman and Kotinek have collected,
expanded, and built upon the presentations from the Forums in
Philadelphia (2006) and Denver (2007) to produce the first-ever NCHC
monograph dealing exclusively with defining, addressing, and working
toward diversity in our honors programs and colleges. This monograph
will be available in 2010.
Looking ahead to Kansas City in 2010, the Diversity Issues
Committee is once again hosting a Diversity Forum, this time looking to
the musical and cultural background of our host city for the theme of
"Call-and-Response." The Diversity Issues Committee invites
presentations that speak to how intellectual, geographic, ethnic,
gender, religious, political (and any other kind) of diversity are
central to the task of providing our students with an environment in
which they can thrive, expand their horizons, and create new knowledge.
Proposals dealing with the following are especially encouraged:
- Best practices in diversity
- Examples of "diversity-in-action"
- Defining diversity
- Call-and-response as a pedagogical tool
Please
remember that the deadline for proposals is February 26! We invite all
interested members to join us for our committee meeting in Kansas City.
See you there!
Lisa L. Coleman and Jonathan D. Kotinek Co-Chairs,
Committee on Diversity issues
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NCHC Two-Year College Committee
Two-Year College Survey Results
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Over
the past eight months, NCHC's Two-Year College Committee created and
distributed a survey for our members. The intent was to gather
information about our various programs and make it available to our
members for planning, budgeting and generating support. Despite the
survey taking about an hour to complete, 43 two-year colleges
participated, which is a tremendous return rate. The results are still
in rough form, but some interesting conclusions can be drawn:
- The
Honors programs at two-year colleges are vibrant, growing and varied!
Just the number of new programs being developed is wonderful and our
growth in student populations is staggering. While we have some
differences, our similarities are more important.
- The total
institutional sizes of our colleges range from under 1000 FTE's to well
over 20,000 and over 70% of those institutions have multiple campuses.
Still, the majority of honors programs have fewer than 400 students:
specifically, 37% have fewer than 100 honors students with another 35%
serving under 300 students. At the upper end, one thriving institution
has over 800 students in its program!
- Our programs run
the gamut of offering only honors courses to having certificate and
degree programs. Honors opportunities are afforded through honors
courses (97% of our schools offer traditional three credit courses),
contracts, and seminars. Twenty-three percent of our programs have a
capstone requirement while over 42% require some type of community
service. All of our programs also offer cultural and social enrichment
activities and over 71% have established articulation agreements with
four-year institutions. Almost every program has rigorous entrance and
graduation requirements. Seventy-eight percent of our programs offer
scholarship and 53% offer additional perks like early registration;
they also all provide some form of graduation recognition, from pins,
tassels, or medallions to meals and special programs. Every responding
institution has both a version of an Honors Advisory Board and a
Student Advisory Board.
- Regrettably, despite all of the
wonderful opportunities afforded to our honors students, budgetary and
staffing concerns run rampant. Sixty-five percent of us reported
budgets of less than $10,000 per year and many expressed concern about
or have already experienced cuts in money and/or staffing (and staff
tends to be extremely limited already, with some of us working alone or
with only part-time help). Our administrative titles tend to be either
"directors" or "coordinators", and unfortunately, many of us teach a
great deal in addition to our administrative duties: 57% teach nine or
more credits per semester, most with no additional compensation.
Seventy-two percent of us teach a combination of Honors and non-Honors
courses and sadly, 87% of us work in the summer.
What
do all of these numbers confirm? Concisely put, we are committed to
honors education and to ensuring we provide the best opportunities
possible for our students, despite limited monetary and personnel
resources. In other words, those who run programs at two-year schools
are crazily dedicated - and probably very tired. In short, like our
colleagues at four-year institutions, we are determined to encourage
Honors students to dream big and embrace scholarship as an adventure,
rather than as an arcane pursuit. The numbers and their analysis point
beyond quantity to a quality of life we appreciate and a vision we hope
to pass on to our students.
My appreciation for and thanks to all of my peers for
everything you do-and also for completing the survey. We hope it will
help and support us as we move along our individual paths to meet our
shared goals.
Any administrator for a two-year college who has not taken the survey
but would like to should contact me at elaine.torda@sunyorange.edu.
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President's Column
John Zubizaretta
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|
 Despite
the national news about crippling cold and snowy weather across the
nation, your hardy NCHC Board of Directors is meeting in our national
headquarters in Lincoln, Nebraska, for its winter deliberations.
Preceding the Board meeting, committee chairs will gather for an annual
retreat, helping us to strengthen channels of communication between our
vital committees and Board members in order to build an active,
responsive leadership team for your organization. The Chairs Retreat
and Board meeting are scheduled for 26-28 Feb. 2010. You will find a
list of Committee Chairs in this Newsletter; please contact them if you
wish to convey questions and concerns that they can share during our
meetings. We invite your participation in our growing organization.
Don't
forget that proposals for our exciting national conference next fall in
Kansas City, 20-24 Oct. 2010, are due by 5:00 p.m., Central Standard
Time, Friday, 26 Feb. 2010. Be sure to take a look at the many
opportunities for professional and student presentations, good food,
experiential learning offerings, and entertainment options on the
conference web pages at http://www.nchchonors.org/2010-annual-conference.php. Don't miss out! I hope to see all of you in the city of "rhythms and currents."
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Chicago: Community (Re) Organization
Neighborhoods, Niches, & Community Needs
July 28 - August 1, 2010
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Chicago
has been the site of multiple NCHC conferences and explorations.
Participants have consistently been enthusiastic about their visits,
but they have also been frustrated by the lack of time to unveil this
complex city. Chicago is exceptionally diverse, both in class and
cultures, and has been a pioneer in design and architecture. During the
past thirty years, Chicago has emerged from urban decay to become a
spectacular and energetic city.
Today it offers a perfect place for City as TextTM. Ethnic neighborhoods
persist;
community organizations have grown; highly visible cultural
organizations ar flourishing: America's second city is beautiful.
Waterways, the lake, and parks are both natural and engineered
resources of this vibrant urban center.
Join facilitators
Bernice Braid, William Daniel, Kathy Lyon and Robert Strikwerda as they
lead you on a unique exploration through the Windy City while
simultaneously arming you with valuable strategies for utilizing
experiential learning activities in your curriculum.
The
cost for this institute is $625. Participants will lodge at the
Hotel Allegro in the heart of downtown Chicago, with easy access to the
Magnificent Mile, the Chicago Loop, the theatre district and much
more.
Participants may register online or by mail but all registrations must be received by June 10, 2010.
Questions? See the full brochure on the website or contact Bernice Braid or Kathy Lyon. |
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Partners in the Parks
Fire Island to Ellis Island
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Partners
in the Parks will once again present Fire Island to Ellis Island, a
week-long program that begins at Theodore Roosevelt's home, Sagamore
Hill, includes an overnight camping trip on the Fire Island dunes, and
visits several National Park sites in urban New York City, including
Liberty and Ellis Islands as well as important monuments and historic
museums. The program will take place May 16-23 at a cost of $550.
Honors Directors are welcome to print and distribute the new Partners
in the Parks trifold or to make it available electronically to
students. The brochure is available here.
Interested students will want to plan early in order to seek scholarship aid and reserve a place.
We look forward to welcoming participants from NCHC honors programs around the country!
Other projects for 2010 include:
Acadia National Park (ME)
August 14-20
Black Canyon of the Gunnison (CO): August 9-14
Cape Hatteras National Seashore (NC):
May 15-22
Denali National Park and Preserve (AK):
- August 9-14
Fire Island to Ellis Island (NY) - May
16-23
Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument (UT): May 31-June 5
Zion National Park (UT): May 10-15 More detailed and up-to-date information can always be found on the web
site: http://www.partnersintheparks.org.
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Assessment and Evaluation Institute
Atlanta, Georgia -- July 7 - 10, 2010
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 The
Assessment and Evaluation Committee would like to extend an invitation
to NCHC members to attend a Faculty Institute in Atlanta, Georgia, July
7 - 10. The institute will include a Site Visitor Training and Program Review Workshop as well as an Assessment Workshop.
Participants are encouraged to register for either or both of the workshops.
The Site Visitor Training and Program Review Workshop is designed for:
- NCHC
members interested in being designated as NCHC-recommended site
visitors. This workshop is required for candidates submitting an
application to be a recommended site visitor.
- Honors educators preparing for an external program review.
- Honors
educators interested in initiating or developing an honors best
practice for the on-going review of honors programs or honors colleges.
The Assessment Workshop is designed for:
- Faculty and administrators interested in the assessment and evaluation of honors programs.
- Deans, directors, and coordinators interested in examining various honors program and curriculum models.
- Honors
educators interested in learning how to develop assessment plans that
can be applied to their home honors program or college.
Attendance
at both sessions is optimal for participants interested in
understanding current issues in assessment, evaluation, and program
review in the context of higher education and applying this knowledge
to honors education.
Registration fees are as follows:
- Both sessions: $800
- Site Visit only: $450
- Assessment only: $450
Complete details and registration forms are available on the NCHC website. Please
note: space in this institute is limited. Register now to secure
your place. The early deadline for registration is May 1; the
final deadline for late registration is June 1, 2010. |
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Call for Papers
JNCHC Deadline: March 1, 2010
|
 The next issue of JNCHC (deadline:
March 1, 2010) invites research essays on any topic of interest to the
honors community.
The issue will also include a Forum focused on the theme
"Honors and Athletics." We invite essays of roughly a thousand
words that consider this theme in the context of your campus and/or a national
context.
The lead essay for the Forum - "College Sports, Honors, Five Liberal
Lessons, and Milo of Crotona" - by Sam Schuman may be found here. Contributions to the Forum may respond to this essay or take an independent approach.
Questions to consider might include: Is mens sana
in corpore sano a concept relevant to honors? Are intercollegiate athletics
an asset or disruption to the honors community? In what way have
intramural sports added to or subtracted from the honors community? Is
the analogy between honors and athletics a useful tool for gaining special
privileges for honors students such as priority registration? Is this
analogy apt, and are these privileges ethical? Are the honors director
and sports coach natural enemies or allies? Does the special attention
given to athletes help justify special attention for honors students?
Does the brouhaha that surrounds high-profile athletics help or interfere with
recruiting and fundraising for honors? Are scholar-athletes an important
benefit to honors?
Forum essays should focus on ideas, concepts, and/or
opinions related to "Honors and Athletics." Examples from one's own
campus can be and usually are relevant, but the essays should not simply be
descriptions of "what we do at our institution."
Also attached to this message is information about JNCHC and
submission guidelines.
Please send all submissions to
Ada Long at adalong@uab.edu.
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Successful 2010 Membership Renewal
Welcome 2010 NCHC Members to a New Year with NCHC!
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As
of mid-February, NCHC has 704 institutional members with an additional
109 institutions in Pending status. Professional membership continues
to grow and we currently have 284 Professional members. If you are the
director of your honors program or college with institutional
membership and have an assistant director or other faculty involved in
honors, they are eligible for Professional membership and will receive
all membership benefits for only $100. Professional memberships are
also a great way to recognize administrative staff involved with your
program, especially if they attend annual conference. Former honors
students and retired honors faculty members or directors no longer
associated with an institution qualify for the $50 Affiliate
membership. Student membership is also off to a great start this year
with 18 students enrolled for 2010. Student T-shirts will be sent
in late March.
A special thank you goes out to all directors and staff who
took the time to answer questions about their institution on the
renewal form. According to the results received with our renewal forms,
NCHC has:
396 Four-Year institutions
86 Two-Year institutions
202 Four-Year Public institutions
193 Private institutions
84 Two-Year Public institutions
2 Private institutions
120-----NCHC Four-Year institutions have under 100 honors students
167---- NCHC Four-Year institutions have 100-500 honors students
109---- NCHC Four-Year institutions have over 500 honors students
226----NCHC Four-Year institutions have over 5 staff
52----NCHC Four-Year institutions have 3-5 staff
109----NCHC Four-Year institutions have 1-2 staff
41-----NCHC Two-Year institutions have under 100 honors students
36---- NCHC Two-Year institutions have 100-500 honors students
9---- NCHC Two-Year institutions have over 500 honors students
45----NCHC Two-Year institutions have over 5 staff
10---NCHC Two-Year institutions have 3-5 staff
22----NCHC Two-Year institutions have 1-2 staff
If you did not complete this information and would like to update your record, please complete the online survey located here.
NCHC would also like to give a special welcome to our new members:
Georgia Gwinnett College
Hostos Community College-CUNY
Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts
Mineral Area College
Pearson
Salem State College
The Catholic University of America
The George Washington University
The Ohio State University Newark
University of Washington Tacoma
Wilmington College
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The National Collegiate Honors Council announces
Student Service Day
Friday, April 16th, 2010
"I
don't know what your destiny will be, but one thing I know: the only ones among
you who will be really happy are those who will have sought and found how to
serve."
-Albert
Schweitzer
Service ideas include: * Sponsoring an open
house for first-year Honors students
*Establishing a
mentoring program for first-year students
*Volunteering at a
local library
*High school
outreach
* Hosting an Honors
information session for home-schooled students
A University of Alabama student helps to spruce up an
area school. Students also work in a classroom partnered
with one or two young students and participate in
discussions and enrichment
activities
Involve your honors program this Spring!
We want to know what you've done for your community. Send your service plans, reports and photos to nchc@unlserve.unl.edu. |
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Board of Directors
President
John Zubizarreta, Columbia College-South Carolina
President-Elect
Bonnie Irwin, Eastern Illinois University
Immediate Past President
Lydia Lyons, Hillsborough Community College
Vice President
Greg Lanier, University of West Florida
Secretary
Bob Spurrier, Oklahoma State University
Treasurer
Rolland W. Pack, Freed-Hardeman University
Kyoko Amano, University of Indianapolis
Ginny Atkinson, Central Arizona College
*Jamie Beko, University of Indianapolis
*Grace Benton, University of Alabama at Birmingham
Bernice Braid, Long Island University-Brooklyn
Ellen Buckner, University of South Alabama
Elizabeth Callahan, Saint Louis University
*Alex Cler, Eastern Illinois University
Jerry Herron, Wayne State University
Kim Klein, Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania
Kathy Lyon, Winthrop University
Jay Mandt, Wichita State University
Jaskiran Mathur, St. Francis College
*Anna Mullen, Iowa State University
Doug Peterson, University of South Dakota
*Anne Schnitzenbaumer, Ball State University
Rick Scott, University of Central Arkansas
*Nathan Torno, Texas A & M University
*Student Member
NCHC Staff
Cynthia M. Hill, Executive Director 402-472-9155
Teri King, 402-472-9156
Carolee Martin Brink 402-472-9150
Trish Souliere 402-472-9172
Betty Talley 402-472-9151 |
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| Calendar of Events
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Please check our online Calendar of Events for the latest news.
February 26
2010 Conference Proposal Submissions End
February 26-28
Board of Directors Meeting/Committee Chair Retreat
March 1
Journal of the National Collegiate Honors Council Submission Deadline
March 15
Portz Grant Applications Deadline
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| Welcome 2010 Committee Chairs & Co-Chairs
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Assessment & Evaluation
Greg Lanier
Hallie Savage
Awards & Grants
Kate Bruce
Ann Eisenberg
Constitution & Bylaws
George Mariz
Diversity Issues
Lisa Coleman
Jonathan Kotinek
External Relations
Page Laws
Finance
Gary M. Bell
Doug Peterson
Honors Advising & Major Scholarships
Lucy Laufe
Jessica Roark
Honors Semesters
Elizabeth C. Beck
Bernice Braid
International Education
Mary Kay Mulvaney
Investment
Rolland Pack
Membership & Marketing
Lauren Furry
Kathleen King
Nominating
Lydia Lyons
Partners in the Parks
Matthew Nickerson
Todd Petersen
Personnel
J. Robert Baker
Portz Fellowship
Patrice M. Berger
Professional Development
Frank Provenzano
Maureen Connelly
Publications
Joan Digby
Jeffrey A. Portnoy
Research
Scott Carnicom
Science & Mathematics
Keith Garbutt
Small Colleges
Donna Menis
Student Concerns
Sara Brady
Anne Schnitzenbaumer
Teaching & Learning
Carolyn Kuykendall
Alison Primoza
Two-Year College
Jean Sorensen
Elaine Torda
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2010 Regional Honors Conferences
Southern Regional Council
"Enduring...Prevailing: Honors as a Prism of the Human Spirit"
March 25 - 27, 2010
Greenville, SC
Great Plains Council
"Art of the Critique"
March 26 - 28, 2010
Tulsa, OK
Mideast Regional Council
"A League of Our Own: Hitting it Home with Honors!"
March 26 - 28, 2010
Louisville, KY
Upper Midwest Council
"Mitakuye Oyasin"
April 8 - 10, 2010
Brookings, SD
Western Regional Council
"Minds to Match Our Mountains"
April 8 - 10, 2010
Jackson Hole, WY
Northeast Regional Council
"Defining the Center"
April 8 - 11, 2010
Harrisburg, PA
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