Enhancement in place for Honors program
Hoping to increase enrollment
Dana Lizik
Issue date: 4/27/09 Section: News
The district-wide Honors program plans to enhance the curriculum by increasing student involvement and clearing up common misconceptions to better represent San Jacinto College.
"A big challenge we have in growing the program is students have a misconception about honors," Scott Furtwengler, dean of the Honors program, said. "Students think honors is like the advanced placement classes in high school, but that's not what it is. Some students don't understand, or they want a break, and they get discouraged based on their own experience. The important thing is letting them know it's not the same. It's a different learning environment."
Furtwengler said recruiting students is very important, despite recent budget cuts, to give the college good representation at conferences and to benefit as many students as possible.
"We don't want to grow too fast too soon," Furtwengler said. "We want to make the experience [of being in the program] meaningful in the classroom, at conferences and let students develop personal relationships."
Furtwengler said ideas for recruiting include attracting students already attending the college and reaching out to the community and area high schools to give them information about the program.
"You have to recruit," Eddie Weller, Honors professor and former Honors program dean said. "Community colleges are so much different compared to a four-year university. If we don't get them (students) before they come in the door, then the most we have them is one year."
Outreach event ideas include college fairs at high schools, informing parents of the benefits and even connecting to Facebook.
"We have to go where students are, make connections to the community," Furtwengler said. "One of the best forms of advertising is word of mouth."
Weller said he used to spend more than 20 hours a week recruiting students to the program with events like "Pizza with the Profs," where students could enjoy free pizza with Honors professors, as well as the availability of cheap soda and snacks in the Honors' room. He also had a newsletter mailed out to the community.
"A big challenge we have in growing the program is students have a misconception about honors," Scott Furtwengler, dean of the Honors program, said. "Students think honors is like the advanced placement classes in high school, but that's not what it is. Some students don't understand, or they want a break, and they get discouraged based on their own experience. The important thing is letting them know it's not the same. It's a different learning environment."
Furtwengler said recruiting students is very important, despite recent budget cuts, to give the college good representation at conferences and to benefit as many students as possible.
"We don't want to grow too fast too soon," Furtwengler said. "We want to make the experience [of being in the program] meaningful in the classroom, at conferences and let students develop personal relationships."
Furtwengler said ideas for recruiting include attracting students already attending the college and reaching out to the community and area high schools to give them information about the program.
"You have to recruit," Eddie Weller, Honors professor and former Honors program dean said. "Community colleges are so much different compared to a four-year university. If we don't get them (students) before they come in the door, then the most we have them is one year."
Outreach event ideas include college fairs at high schools, informing parents of the benefits and even connecting to Facebook.
"We have to go where students are, make connections to the community," Furtwengler said. "One of the best forms of advertising is word of mouth."
Weller said he used to spend more than 20 hours a week recruiting students to the program with events like "Pizza with the Profs," where students could enjoy free pizza with Honors professors, as well as the availability of cheap soda and snacks in the Honors' room. He also had a newsletter mailed out to the community.
Be the first to comment on this story