Weber State University
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Honors ProgramResults of Assessment 2006-2007 (submitted 02/13/08) Students in the program: We would like to see about 200 students in the program, and we currently have 162. The issue is primarily retention in that a number of students who come into Honors then leave. One of our goals this year is to set up better assessment of the students who drop out of Honors. Why do they leave, and is there something we can do about that? Budget: Our total budget is $132,108, but our annual WSU budget is only $38, 702. The rest is Eccles, Cortez and gift monies. As the numbers show, we are currently borrowing from those gift accounts to pay for anything beyond basic maintenance of the office. We’ve met with Carol Biddle to talk about maintaining gifts to Honors, and we will actively pursue viable possibilities. However, Honors should not rely on those gifts to cover running costs. I would like to discuss the annual WSU budget allocation with the Provost at some point. What’s Working: Staff Honors is fortunate that the staff, Leanna Riddle (office manager) and Marilyn Diamond (student advisor) give such committed support to the program. They work hard, care about the program and the students, and often go above and beyond in terms of service. Honors Center The Honors Center works well for the staff and students. The staff have individual offices, and the students have access to computers, snacks, and places to relax. We also make good use of the two classrooms attached to the library. The center was painted this summer, and the library gave us chairs and tables. I have met with Joan Hubbard to ensure that Honors maintains a good relationship with the library, and that we are respectful of the space they have allotted us. Joan supports Honors and we feel welcome in the Stewart Library. This is an appropriate place for Honors to be situated on campus. HSAB This year’s HSAB board is mature, committed and hard-working. The board is ably led by Ashley Remkes. In the past, there has been a lack of communication between Honors and Student Services, especially in terms of the budget for Issues Forum which is allocated by Student Services. However, we met with Jose Gomez several times, and he has assured us that $6,000 will be made available for Issues Forums this academic year. The Provost has also allotted $20,000 for Honors speakers. This year, I intend to use part of that money in partnership with other departments to sponsor incoming speakers. For example, we will co-sponsor the Greek Festival. Faculty Most of the faculty teaching in the Honors Program do an excellent job, providing stimulating and worthwhile classes for students. From Spring 2008, I will be offering teaching opportunities to younger faculty and those who have not taught in the program. I would like to open Honors up to the best teachers at WSU at every stage in their careers. Scholarships We distributed $4,200 in scholarships to students for academic year 2007-2008. The Provost has generously provided a one-time $40,000 to Honors for scholarships. We need to carefully consider how best to use that money before making it available to students. I hope the work of the Steering Committee and the assessment we do this academic year will guide us in these decisions. What’s not working: The Role of Honors at WSU The Honors Steering Committee, composed of Susan Matt, Kathleen Lukken and Brad Carroll, is helping me to look at the role Honors plays at WSU. We aim to answer the following question: How can Honors best serve the WSU community? We are working within the context of national models, provided by the National Collegiate Honors, to address this issue. Campus Perceptions of Honors There is a lingering perception that Honors is an exclusive social club for students and faculty. We will address this issue with renewed outreach to individual faculty, departments, and students. Our goal is to strengthen the campus view of Honors as a respected and integral part of the WSU community, playing a vital role in putting the WSU mission statement into practice. 1110 "Introduction to Honors" class We lose a number of Honors students after they’ve taken this class. I’m not sure the course is constructed in the most useful way for incoming freshmen, and the students receive only elective credit for taking the class. I am considering options for this class. Assessment Some assessment is effectively in place, particularly of the individual classes taught in Honors. However, the macro view– how the program is doing– is a weakness for Honors. We would like to find out, for example:
We are currently putting more assessment in place so we can gather the data to begin answering these questions. The Eccles Fellows In the past few years, a couple of faculty have been selected as Eccles Fellows each semester. Honors bought out the individual, paying the home department for two classes. The faculty member then taught one class for Honors and had rather vague responsibilities for the rest of the time. For this year, I am not renewing the Eccles Fellows until I have figured out a way to get more bang for the Honors buck. Relations with Phi Kappa Phi Honors has had a rocky relationship with Phi Kappa Phi these last years, and I’m working with Carl Porter, the current president, to try to ensure things run more smoothly. Goals for 2007-2008 Based on the situation I have described above, I plan to:
Mission Statement / Student Learning Outcomes / Curriculum Grid / Assessment Plan /Contact Person |
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