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Freshman CommunityHonors Retreat
The Honors Retreat occurs annually before the beginning of New Student Orientation. All incoming Honors freshmen will attend this retreat, and the upperclassmen are invited to attend as well. The retreat features a wide range of activities from academic presentations by the professors to hiking, canoeing, and gaming. The retreat has been highly successful in past years and we look forward to building on those successes every year. For the families of incoming students, we have a dedicated family orientation (so families do not have to stay for regular family orientation) the day before leaving for the retreat. For more information, contact geoffrey.whitebread@gallaudet.edu. Discussion Board The Summer Discussion board is up and running by the beginning of July. The discussion board features two kinds of discussions: social and academic. The first discussion will focus on providing opportunities for incoming Honors students (and those upperclassmen who wish to participate) to meet each other, swap stories, and exchange contact information. The second part of the discussion board, which will be launched around mid-July, will be discussion prompts based on the summer readings. Incoming freshmen are required to participate actively in both sections of the discussion board. Scholarships 25 merit-based scholarships (Presidential and Provost scholarships) are granted to select incoming Honors students. The scholarships last for four years and provide additional funding for students remaining active and in good standing with the Honors Program. Institutional Privileges Priority RegistrationStudents who are currently taking an Honors course, and intend to register for an Honors course the following semester, are granted priority registration. They are able to register before all other undergraduate students. Dedicated Academic Advisors Students who are admitted to the Honors Program are assigned to Academic Advisors who specialize in Honors students. These academic advisors have a keen awareness of the Honors Program and issues facing Honors students. Small Classes Honors courses enjoy small class sizes. Typically, there are twelve or fewer students in an Honors course. This guarantees students a much higher rate of in-class interaction with the professor and other students than in larger classes. The Honors Program offers multiple sections of popular courses to ensure the course is available for everyone. Graduation Students who satisfy the requirements for graduating with Honors are given increased recognition at Graduation. Honors students will wear Royal Blue robes during graduation. For Capstone Students, the Provost will share the students' research he/she completed for the capstone with those in attendance. All Honors graduates, and their families, are invited to breakfast with the Provost the morning of Graduation. Honors Facilities The Honors Lounge The Honors Lounge is a room in the Student Academic Center that has been designated for Honors Students. The room has a conference table, computers, sofas, big-screen TV, microwave, refrigerator, and a coffee maker. From time to time, particularly during Finals week, the Lounge is stocked with refreshments and materials to aid students in their studies. Every year the lounge takes on a different feel. Indeed, it is the new students who largely determine the kind of environment. Some years, the lounge is a quiet study environment. Other years, the lounge is a more social place, with people coming to watch TV or hang out as an escape from their studies. The Honors Lounge also has a range of publications available 24/7 for students to read. Current publications include: Mental Floss
Scientific American
Time
Harpers
The Economist
Washingtonian
Newsweek
Chronicle of Higher Education
New York Times Review of Books
The American Scholar
The New Yorker
US News and World Report
Wilson Quarterly
Consumer Reports
Kiplinger
Journal of the National Collegiate Honors Council
The Capstone Lounge The Capstone Lounge is available for students to use upon enrolling in 487 and 488. This is a room reserved for Honors Students in the library. The room has a projector, several computers, a book shelf, a storage space, and plenty of desks for students to work from. The Capstone courses also meet in this room; this room is a central location for students embarking upon their Capstone project. Program Events and Activities The Honors Program also sponsors a number of events each semester. These events are all designed to boost the sense of community shared among Honors students. These events do so by providing a forum for discussing stimulating ideas that supplement lectures in the classroom or events that are happening around us. Undergraduate ResearchStudents are invited to participate in the Undergraduate Research Program in either their sophomore and junior years. Students who are accepted to the program will join a research team on campus! Students will be assigned to teams based on the needs of the team and the interests of the student. For 10 hours a week, students will function as full members of the research team while participating in all apsects of the research, including data collection, analysis, and writing. Students will take a one-credit Honors seminar course and will receive a stipend for their work. Movie Nights These are nights where students are invited to a classroom to watch a movie. The movies are picked because they are both entertaining and educational. The movies are picked in consultation with Honors Faculty. This provides us with yet another way to present students with a variety of information and viewpoints on a given topic. Refreshments are provided. Small Group Events The Honors Program hosts a variety of Small Group events. These events are designed to build a sense of community within the program. Events may include trips to Starbucks, museums, an off campus dinner, a play, or an on campus activity such as a game or a workshop. Some of the events will be designed for Honors students. For others, Honors students will be required to bring a friend who is not in the Honors Program to attend. We believe the Honors Program is a part of a wider community, and we encourage our students to recognize the need for a balance between the Honors Program and the Gallaudet community. Author Vists The Honors Program invites authors of its summer reading material to come to the University and speak to the Honors students. Generally, the authors also agree to give a presentation to the wider Gallaudet community as well. These visits are integrated into the freshman courses as a way to keep course material vibrant, relevent, and interesting. Honors Support Lunches These bring-your-own-food lunches are held twice a month for students who are on probation. Led by Geoff, students come together to discuss difficulties and success they have in their academic progress. These lunches aim to help students understand the reason for their difficulty and develop/implement a plan for each student to improve. Honors Scholars Lunch These are lunches offered to students who have a G.P.A. of 3.0 or above. These lunches are designed to bring students together to mark their acheivement, as well as serving as a "thank you" from the Honors Program to the students for all their work. As a special treat, the Honors Program provides food from a caterer for these lunches. Conferences The annual conference of the Northeast Regional Honors Council will take place in Morristown, New Jersey April 3 - 6. The Honors Program will pay for transportation, hotel, and food for those students who have submitted a proposal to the conference. Honor Student Rachel Rose has been invited to present at this year's regional conference. Congratulations! The annual conference of the National Collegiate Honors Council will take place in San Antonio, Texas from October 22 - 26.
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