The Honors Experience at Grossmont College

Purpose

The purpose of developing an Honors/Scholars Experience at Grossmont College is to provide highly motivated students who have demonstrated outstanding academic achievements the opportunity to:

1. Pursue their individual scholarly interests
2. Participate in an intellectual community of students with a shared purpose of advancing scholarship
3. Enhance their ability to transfer to their preferred college/university and/or their participation in an honors program in their transfer institution.
    

Student Requirements for Participation

1. College students should have a 3.2 cumulative GPA or higher after completion of 12 college degree applicable units.
2. Entering freshman must have a 3.2 high school GPA or higher.
3. All students must be eligible for ENG 120. Successful completion of the pre-requisite courses or passing the assessment tests demonstrates eligibility.
4. All students must be eligible for Math 103. Successful completion of the pre-requisite courses or passing the assessment tests demonstrates eligibility.
5. All students who intend to complete the Honors Experience must submit a completed Honors Experience Application Form to the office of the Honors Coordinator.
6. Students who meet the requirements for participation but do not want to complete the program are welcome to register in honors classes.
7. Students who are interested in the honor experience but do not meet all the requirements may petition the Honors Coordinator for a waiver of the requirements. Students petitioning for a waiver must request a recommendation from an instructor teaching an honors course.
8. Both full-time and part-time students are encouraged to participate.

Student Requirements for Honors Experience Active Continuing Status

1. Maintain a minimum 3.2 cumulative GPA.
2. Complete a minimum of one Honors Course each academic year.
3. Review and update an educational plan with an academic counselor each semester.

Honors Experience Completion Requirements

1. Submission of all application materials.
2. Maintenance of a cumulative GPA of 3.2 or higher.
3. Completion of 18 semester units in letter graded honors classes.
4. Completion of a form of college/community service.
5. Completion of associated degree or fulfillment of admissions/transfer requirements for a four-year institution.

Types of Honors Courses

1. Honors sections of existing courses: Regular courses with additional or substitute appropriate learning activities to make them honors level. (Each department decides the offering of honors sections of existing courses.)
2. Linked Honors Courses: Two or more courses linked forming a learning community. Linked courses have the same students and the instructors coordinate the course syllabus and learning activities. (The offering of linked courses needs to be coordinated through Project Success.)
3. Honors Seminar: A course devoted to intensive investigation of a single topic or problem. To a greater degree than in regular courses, students are responsible for contributing to seminar dialogues, completing a reading list, and producing written work and/or special project of superior quality. Topics and instructors change every semester. (This type of course needs both department and curriculum committee approval.)
4. Honors contract in regular courses: Any section of an existing course can be converted into an honors section for a particular student if an honors student and the instructor develop an honors contract for the class. The student, the instructor, the department chair, the appropriate dean and the honors coordinator must approve and sign the honors contract. (This honors course option will not be offered during the 2003-04 academic year. Administrative procedures need be determined.)

Honors Transfer Council of California

Article 3: Membership

The Honors Transfer Council of California recognizes that a college's honors or scholars program is an expression of its educational values and culture, and that honors/scholars programs at different colleges therefore reflect a wide diversity in philosophies, standards and practices.

Nevertheless, the Council also recognizes that within this diversity, well-defined and meaningful honors/scholars programs share crucial elements in common, and the Council therefore embraces a membership standard with those common elements in mind. Membership in the Honors Transfer Council of California is open only to community colleges with an active honors or scholars program that meets the following criteria:

1. The program offers honors/scholars courses and/or contracts designed to offer an enriched educational experience as defined by the instructional faculty of the college;
2. The program is designed to assist students in developing their critical thinking skills and writing ability;
3. The program is a campus wide endeavor in that it offers courses from various disciplines and is assisted by a broad-based advisory council;
4. The program establishes and adheres to completion requirements that include a minimum GPA and a minimum number of letter-graded honors/scholars
5. The program does not set its GPA minimum below 3.0 and does not set its completion requirement below 5 courses, equivalent to 15 semester units;
6. The program is headed by members of the instructional faculty;
7. The head of the program is supported by reassigned time and/or stipends commensurate with the size of the program and the number of students served;
8. The program is supported by clerical assistance commensurate with the size of the program and the number of students served;
9. The program makes counseling available to honors/scholars students to support them in their educational endeavors and plans, including transfer;
10. The program pays annual dues to the Council.

Guest observer status in the Honors Transfer Council of California is open to all community college faculty, counselors and administrators who are considering programs, actively planning programs, or who maintain programs that do not meet the above criteria. Individuals may be guest observers on the Council for as long as they wish. Guest observers are not required to pay dues, and may not vote.