Senate Document SD 00-05

(Approved, 3/12/2001)

(Superseded by SD 04-4)

 

TO:                             The Senate

FROM:                       The Honors Program Council

Gary Blumenshine, Chair

DATE:                        December 6, 2000

SUBJECT:                 The Honors Program (supersedes SD 81[A])

DISPOSITION: Upon approval of the Educational Policy Committee, to the Senate for approval, and to the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs for implementation

 

WHEREAS, during Spring Semester 1981, the Fort Wayne Senate at Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne established the Honors Program, the Honors Program Council, and the position of Honors Program Director as constituent elements of the academic mission of the University; and

 

WHEREAS, this action was in response to a national call for increasing educational opportunities for talented students and to the large number of gifted students who were enrolled in degree programs at IPFW; and

 

WHEREAS, under a series of directors, the Honors Program grew to become a permanent and significant aspect of academic life of the Fort Wayne campus having had 69 faculty participate as instructors in the Honors Program and 15 students earn Honors Certificates by the year 2000; and

 

WHEREAS, Senate Document SD 81-3(A), which created the Honors Program, has not been amended since 1984 and does not accurately describe the evolved organization of the Honors Program or the administrative organization of IPFW schools and departments;

 

BE IT RESOLVED, that the Senate approve the attached reorganized Honors Program.

 

 

Senate Document SD 00-05

(Approved, 3/12/2001)

 

THE HONORS PROGRAM

INDIANA UNIVERSITY-PURDUE UNIVERSITY

FORT WAYNE

 

A.        Mission Statement

 

The Honors Program seeks to create an environment of intellectual excitement and discovery.  It provides students who demonstrate intellectual potential and personal commitment with an opportunity to:

 

a. pursue an individualized program of study combining interdisciplinary honors courses and honors-approved courses offered in traditional disciplines;

b. develop rigor in thought, analysis and synthesis through participation in small classes emphasizing student interaction;

c. conduct a sustained project of their own design, under the direction of a member of the honors faculty.

 

Upon completion of the Honors Certificate, the students will:

 

a. be equipped and motivated to continue their intellectual development;

b. demonstrate, by completion of an honors project, the ability to think rigorously and work independently on a sustained project;

c. understand connections of methodology and content between two or more disciplines.

 

B.            Admission and Honors Program Participation

 

Students will be admitted to the Honors Program in accordance with the standards and procedures established by the Honors Program Council.  Participation in the Honors Program is voluntary.  Students may be admitted as entering first-year students, or after having completed twelve or more credit hours if their cumulative grade-point average is at least 3.3.

 

In order to maintain active Honors Program status, students must maintain a cumulative grade-point average of at least 3.3. 

 

Students not in the Honors Program may take honors courses with the permission of the instructors.  Students may take honors courses even if they do not intend to complete the entire program.

 

C.        Honors Certificate Requirements

 

In order to complete the Honors Certificate, students must take 18 credits of honors courses or seminars. These credits include:

 

a. the honors project,

b. at least one course at the junior/senior level, and

c. honors seminars or courses that represent at least two disciplines. 

Senate Document SD 00-05

(Approved, 3/12/2001)

 

Students must maintain a cumulative grade-point average of at least 3.5 and the same minimum average in Honors Program courses.

 

D.        Function of the Honors Program Council

 

The Honors Program Council shall:

 

a. exercise the Faculty’s authority with regard to all matters related to the Honors Program;

b. establish and periodically review the Honors Program mission;

c. review and recommend applicants for the position of the Honors Program director to the vice chancellor for academic affairs;

d. establish and review the duties of the Honors Program director;

e. establish and review standards and procedures for admission to the honors program;

f. review the honors curriculum including program requirements, course proposals, and course scheduling;

g. review the Honors Program budget;

h. perform regular program assessment;

i. approve the list of Honors Certificate recipients;

j. report Honors Program policies to the Senate through the Educational Policy Committee;

k. elect its own chair.

 

E.         Function of the Honors Program Director

 

The Honors Program director shall be appointed by the vice chancellor for academic affairs in consultation with the Honors Program Council.  The terms of the appointment shall be negotiated at the time of the appointment.

 

The Honors Program Director shall:

 

a. execute the policies of the Honors Program Council;

b. provide leadership and assistance to the Honors Program;

c. serve as a member of the Honors Program Council;

d. represent and promote the Honors Program to the campus, the community, and the National Collegiate Honors Fellowship.