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by Melinda Frederick, Coordinator, Honors Program and Honors Academy
ENROLLMENT AND COURSE OFFERINGS EXPAND
This has been a great year for the Honors Program and Honors Academy!
Enrollment in the Honors Program has surpassed all previous records in its 20
year history, with over 375 students currently enrolled in the program.
Eight-four percent, or 21 of the 25 honors courses offered for the
spring semester, met minimum enrollment. In addition to the 21 honors
classes this semester, 24 individual honors students are engaged in honors
contracts, working with selected faculty on independent research projects. Visibility in the
Honors Program has increased, especially among new and incoming students, thanks
to the efforts of Nelson Kofie, assistant honors coordinator for Marketing and
Recruitment.
An increase in enrollment has allowed us to expand the honors
curriculum. This semester, we offered two online honors courses in
Psychology 101H and Anthropology 103H and an interdisciplinary Honors Colloquium
in "Globalization, the World Economy and the Environment" taught by
Professors Mimi Bres (Biology) and Ron Deaton (Political Science). Fall semester, we will offer CIS101H online and Criminal Justice 151H for the first
time, in addition to an Honors Colloquium on "Communication and Conflict in
Various Contexts" taught by Donnetrice Allison (Speech).
On April 30, 2002, we featured our fall 2002 semester course offerings
at the "Meet the Honors Faculty" forum, where students learned about
and applied for the Honors Program. The new booklets for fall
2002 Honors course offerings were available.
HONORS ACTIVITIES UPDATE
Under the coordination of Esther Hanson, assistant honors coordinator for
Activities, students in the Honors Society and Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) have had a
busy semester. In early February, members of the Honors Academy and Honors
Society and PTK officers participated in an all-day Leadership Development
seminar. The College Bowl participated in a tournament at Berry College in
Atlanta in March. In April, Phi Theta Kappa members participated in a
"Christmas in April" community service project. The revitalized
Model United Nations Club, assisted by faculty advisor, Dean Kostanteros, held a public
forum entitled "Peace, Diplomacy and War" on April 16, 2002, featuring
guest speaker,
Dr. James Lindsay, from The Brookings Institute. On April 23, 2002, the Honors
Society featured a panel discussion on "Health Care Issues for Indigent
Populations" coordinated by Honors Academy member, Graciela Rodriguez.
Honors American Government students took field trips to Congressman Steny
Hoyer's office on Capitol Hill; students in the Honors Colloquium on
Globalization visited the World Bank. In addition, students in the Honors
Society hold leadership positions in many other student organizations, including
the Owl newspaper, the Nursing Club, Kaleidoscope, and the Student
Governance Board. Some members of the Honors Academy and PTK also work as
student mentors for ALANA and as tutors for Student Support Services and
Disability Support Services.
HONORS ACADEMY SEEKS NEW MEMBERS
The Honors Academy continues to expand its membership. The Academy admitted
seven new members in the fall 2001 and spring 2002 semesters for a total of ten
students altogether. The Academy members admitted this spring were Jacqueline
Abadir (International Relations), Jennifer Davis (Psychology), Miriam
Khan (pre-med), and Stephane Robinson (Criminal Justice). Five
of the members will be graduating in the spring and summer 2002 and transferring
on to four-year colleges and universities. The Honors Academy is actively
recruiting new and continuing students into the program. Please encourage your
academically talented students to apply to the Honors Academy.
The eligibility requirements for consideration are:
- 3.5 cumulative GPA based upon 12 or more credits with 6 of the 12 credits
in general studies
- A grade of B or higher in ENG 101 or ENG 101H
- Member of or eligible for the Honors Program
If accepted into the Honors Academy, students must maintain their eligibility
by:
- Maintaining a 3.5 cumulative GPA
- Successfully completed 7 or more Honors courses, including one Honors
Colloquium
- Performing 15 hours of community service per semester
- Actively working toward graduation and transfer to a four-year institution
Applications can be downloaded from the Honors Academy Web site (http://www.pg.cc.md.us/pgweb/pgdocs/honors/honors-promo.html)
or picked up at the Honors Program office in Marlboro 1089. The deadline
for submission for the fall is July 1, 2002. Students can contact me
at 301/322-0433 or by e-mail at fredermj@pg.cc.md.us for further information.
HONORS CONVOCATION WRAPS UP A GREAT YEAR
On Wednesday, May 8, 2002, we held our annual Student Honors Convocation in
Queen Anne's Auditorium, followed by a reception for students, faculty,
administrators, family, and friends. This year, over 175 outstanding students representing 26
departments, programs or divisions were recognized! Among this number, 118
students were inducted into Phi Theta Kappa, the international honors society
for two-year colleges. If you were unable to attend this year's Honors
Convocation, please mark your calendar for next spring 2003. We invite
everyone to join us as we honor excellence at Prince George's Community College
that evening.
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