Abrupt changes made by administrators cause honors program students, staff to regroup
Changes in the Honors program will include an increase in scholarship from $1,000 to $2,000 and new leadership to meet the requirements of the Quality Enhancement Plan through undergraduate research.
“This decision is meant to enhance the recruiting of high achieving students by offering them better scholarships and to decrease overhead costs of running the Honors Program,” Hillary Sommerhauser-Coenen, program coordinator, said.
Starting in the fall, the Honors Program will be called the Redwine Scholars Program. Instead of having an Honors Director, the Redwine Scholars Program will be directed by the Provost’s Office. Through the Quality Enhancement Plan, there will be an increased focus on undergraduate research.
“The Honors Program has previously encouraged undergraduates to engage in research, but under the new program, it will be a requirement for every student,” Sommerhauser-Coenen said.
Junior and senior Honors students will see very little effects by the changes being made to the program. First and second year students will be able to apply for the Redwine scholarship. If chosen, these students will be required to participate in an undergraduate research project during their last year. Incoming honors students will start taking a leadership course which will have a smaller class size than the Honors Intro Seminar.
“They will enroll in a senior seminar taught by the Provost Betty Stewart, in which they will present their research,” Sommerhauser-Coenen said.
The Redwine Scholars Program will have a cap of 22 students admitted per year, with 20 of these students being incoming freshmen. In previous years, the program has not had a cap system. According to Sommerhauser-Coenen, in the last seven years the program has admitted an average of 56 students each year, with 43.4 percent of these being current or transfer students.
“About 60 percent of the current Honors students will be affected, but the primary effect will be on the incoming student who will participate fully in the new program and those students who do not have the opportunity to be involved in Honors because of the new cap,” Sommerhauser-Coenen said.
Since the meeting with the Honors students announcing the implementation of the Redwine Scholars Program, clarifications have been made but changes have yet to be administered.
“Honors Housing will continue and student who participate in the Redwine Scholars program will still graduate with Honors. The Honors Program Student Committee will continue to be involved, though it may need a name change,” Sommerhauser-Coenen said.
Honors Program Student Committee Treasurer Heather Baker said she believes the changes being made to the program are positive and will benefit students by engaging in undergraduate research.
“The changes work better for me because I am a chemistry major, and so I already participate in research. It will help me to have a program that emphasizes research rather than having the two programs be separate,” Baker said.
The amount student involvement in the Honors Program will determine how much the change will affect individuals, Baker said. Those who have modeled their degrees around the Honors Program may encounter challenges adapting to the Redwine program.
“For those who are not as involved and do the minimum requirements might not see the difference in the new program,” Baker said.
As an officer of the student committee, Baker said she feels the new program will give students a chance to start over.
“I believe that those in charge of the new program are very open to suggestions and willing to add to the new program to make it the best possible,” Baker said.
Baker said she feels the change between the two programs would be easier for students if elements from the old program were integrated into the new program.
“The new program has not taken a lot of good features from the old program and integrated them into the new one. If they were to do that, the transition would be a lot easier,” Baker said.