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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
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How can I become a member of the Honors
Program?
Freshmen and sophomores with a minimum 3.3 index and
juniors and seniors with a 3.5 minimum cumulative index are invited to apply
for membership in the Honors Program. Incoming freshmen who have received
scholarships based on academic achievment or who offer a superior high school
record are invited into the Program.
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What are the
advantages of the Honors Program?
- Through close advisement, you will develop and
design your own program of Honors studies, both within and outside of your
major field, with attention given to your educational and career goals.
- You will enjoy small seminar-style classes,
one- on-one learning with a faculty expert, and enrichment of your liberal arts
education.
- You will integrate your academic and
co-curricular college activities. You may be elected class representative to
the Honors Board, the governance body of the Honors Program, or you may
volunteer to chair a committee or a task force, to join a committee as a
member, or to serve as a liaison to other campus groups.
- You will seek a challenging internship.
Internship placements have assured many Honors seniors employment upon
graduation. Honors students have interned at a rich variety of sites, such as
the United Nations, the Westchester Historical Society, New York City art
galleries and Museums, major networks, hospitals, law and senators' offices,
and federal, state, and municipal agencies in Washington, D.C., New York, and
New Rochelle.
- You will automatically
become a member of the National
Collegiate Honors Council and its affiliate Northeast
Regional organization. You may opt to attend their
annual conferences, at which you will present a workshop,
to serve on national and regional honors committees, or
to enroll in one of the student-centered NE-NCHC "Sleeping
Bag Seminars." You may apply for a visiting semester
in the Honors Program of any other member institution
or for full Honors credit in an NCHC Honors Semester.
Past NCHC Honors Semesters in which CNR Honors students
have enrolled are: "The Grand Canyon Semester,"
"The Appalachia Semester," "The Mexico
Semester," "The Bicentennial Semester "
in Washington, D.C., and "The United Nations Semester."
- You may submit an Honors Contract at any time,
to research an independent study project with a faculty mentor, or in
conjunction with a study abroad or visiting student program.
- You may overpoint during the
semester beyond the normal 16 credits without additional fee, up to 12 Honors
credits over the 120 credits required for the degree. Because of the
possiblities for acceleration within the Honors Program, you may seek to
graduate in three and a half years.
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What is the
Honors Colloquium?
This one-year, six-credit experience combines a Fall Seminar
with a Spring Directed Study on an interdisciplinary umbrella theme selected
each year by the Honors students. In the first semester, students explore
issues associated with the theme under the guidance of a faculty expert. In the
second semester, students design an individual project, assisted by faculty and
librarian mentors, resource workshops, and group process meetings with the
Colloquium Coordinator. Cycled according to student interest, Colloquium topics
are:
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What will Freshman
year in the Honors Program be like?
Honors Freshman Year courses are Honors
sections of the college's freshman requirement, designed
to acquaint Honors Students with the learning goals and
expectations of the Honors Program. In the fall, students
enroll in " The
Self in Context " and " Critical Research Essay
," both of which explore the concept of Identity, with
particular attention given to gender. The Honors Orientation
Program introduces new students to the co-curricular options
and community of the Honors Program through its September
orientation program, faculty mentors, committees, and other
special events.
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Can I earn an
Honors Diploma?
Not all students who enter the Honors Program seek the
Honors Diploma; many join in order to participate in Honors activities and to
take selected Honors Seminars. Those Honors Students who apply for the Diploma
are reviewed in their senior year by the Honors Committee. Candidates for the
Honors Diploma at Commencement will offer minimally: a 3.5 cumulative index,
eight successful Honors Contracts or Seminars (among these, the year-long
Honors Colloquium and Senior Symposium), and a consistent record of leadership
in the Honors Program.
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Is there a lounge
for Honors Students?
Situated on the top floor of Leland Castle, the
Honors Center serves as a lounge, seminar
space, study, and conference room for Honors students. It contains an
internet-connected computer, laser printer, Honors student mailboxes, a
radio/CD/cassette player, a television with VCR, and an assortment of archival
materials, magazines, journals, books, and newsletters for browsing or
borrowing.
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What is an Honors
Seminar?
Created as distinctive non-major experiences,
Honors seminars are student-centered, interdisciplinary
in content, and innovative in methodology. Generally unique
to the Honors Program, seminars are issue-oriented, responsive
to diverse perspectives, and experiential. Class size in
seminars averages 12 students, which guarantees full participation
of all members in high quality discussion with the professor.
Seminars are distinguished by several elements: faculty
who are noted for their creative teaching; interactive learning
through discussion, independent and group student presentations
and projects; experiential learning through guest speakers,
visual and Internet media, and field assignments. Some recent
seminars that you may access on line are: "Genetics and Identity,"
"Non-Western
Ideologies," and "Women
and Law."
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What is an Honors
Contract?
This is an original independent study syllabus, initiated by a
student and faculty mentor, and submitted to the Honors Committee for approval.
Once approved for its design and challenge, it may convert a course into an
Honors experience. Students above the freshman level may develop an Honors
Contract for an Honors designation (H-option) in any traditional course or for
up to three additional credits. The Honors Contract may also be used to design
an Honors independent study or academic internship, for from one to six Honors
credits. Students who complete Honors Contracts have the opportunity to present
their work to the campus at large at the Honors Program's annual
Conference Day in April.
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