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University Honors Council

Mission  

The Kathwari Honors Program promotes student enrichment built on the fundamental premise that knowledge is an open set of questions and ideas to be explored through highly interactive and interdisciplinary courses, experiential learning, research opportunities, and community engagement.   

Program Values Statement 

 The Kathwari Honors Program centers both personal and public inquiry as drivers of the pursuit of knowledge and the common good. The program seeks to nurture curiosity, compassion, and civic engagement among highly motivated students and to open doors of opportunity and awareness among its members and across the university.   

Learning Outcomes of the Kathwari Honors Program: 

 Upon completion of the Kathwari Honors Program, students will be able to: 

  • Formulate pressing questions that deserve inquiry (measure: Capstone) 
  • Conduct inquiries, research, or creative activity that synthesizes knowledge or practice from multiple disciplines (measure: Capstone) 
  • Present research or creative activity in public presentation, publication, or performance (measure: Capstone) 
  • Develop ideas in writing or performance (measure: any course) 
  • Engage in community action or service (measure: Honors Activities)

Policies

  1. Kathwari Honors Program Director Workload 
    1. The role of the director carries a workload equivalent to at least 6 credit hours per semester (Fall and Spring).
    2. The director’s workload during the summer sessions is equivalent to at least 6 credits and may be equivalent to at least 3 credits over the winter intercession.
    3. Additional credits will be provided for courses taught in the Honors program. 
  2. Responsibilities of the Director of the Kathwari Honors Program
    The Director shall:

    1. Be selected by the Honors Council, who will review applications submitted through a University-wide open call. Applicants must be full-time faculty members at WCSU. The Honors Council shall select the Director by majority vote and forward their selection to the Provost for appointment. 
    2. Once appointed, the Director shall serve for a term of three years with the option of a one-term renewal as determined by majority vote by the Honors Council. 
    3. Report to the Provost. 
    4. Coordinate the Honors 100 course and the Honors 400 Capstone course. 
    5. Supervise the work of the Assistant Director and coordinate Honors Program staff meetings. 
    6. Review and make acceptance decisions regarding direct applications and student records to the Honors Program. 
    7. In consultation with Honors Council, the general faculty, and departments, supervise the workings of the major components of the Honors Program. 
    8. Work collaboratively with campus consortium and community partners to facilitate programming, training, and opportunities for Honors students. 
    9. Cooperate with Institutional Advancement on donor initiatives related to the Honors Program. 
    10. Plan and manage events and activities related to Honors student recruitment, development, engagement, and achievement. 
    11. Develop, solicit, review, and implement the Honors curriculum in consultation with the Honors Council. 
    12. Develop, coordinate, implement, and review an assessment model for the Honors program. 
    13. Review and authorize Honors program expenditures, Honors research and teaching practicums, Honors course enhancements, and Honors student activity requirements. 
  3. Responsibilities of The Honors Council
    The Honors council shall:      

    1. Support and advise the Director on the development and implementation of the Honors curriculum, including. 
      1. Reviewing and Approving Honors courses.
      2. Selecting the recipient of any Honors awards
      3. Electing the Director of the Honors Program.   
      4. Reviewing and approving policies and procedures for the Honors Program 
    2. Convene regularly scheduled meetings, convened by the Chair of the Honors Council, or by the Director of the Honors Program if the Chair is absent. Honors Council meetings shall be open to the public. 
    3. Meet quorum to hold meetings; quorum shall consist of half the filled voting seats of the Honors Council. 
    4. Vote on decisions taken during meetings; in the event that a vote is required between meetings, an e-mail vote will be conducted. Voting in e-mail votes shall be officiated as a roll call vote, and the vote’s outcome shall be added to the meeting’s minutes for approval. 
    5. Recruit and select Honors Faculty. 
    6. Record meeting minutes, the responsibility for which shall be rotated among the voting members. 
    7. Be comprised of  ten (10) voting members:  
      1. Director (1) of the Kathwari Honors Program  
      2. Assistant Director (1) of the Kathwari Honors Program
      3. One (1) of the University’s Deans will be selected by the Provost in consultation with the Honors Council for a renewable three-year term.
      4. Five (5) faculty members who will be selected through University Senate elections for three-year term, including
        1. Two faculty members (2) chosen from the Macricostas School of Arts and Sciences (one member from a STEM field and one member from a non-STEM field)
        2. One faculty member (1) chosen from Ancell School of Business
        3. One faculty member (1) chosen from the School of Professional Studies
        4. One faculty member (1) chosen from the School of Visual, Performing and Communication Arts
      5. Two (2) student representatives appointed by the Director and drawn from at least two different departments.
  4. Responsibilities of the Honors Council Chair
    The Chair of the Honors council shall: 

    1. Be elected through a majority vote of the Honors Council at the last meeting of the academic year, for a one-year term to begin at the start of the following academic year. 
    2. Conduct Honors Council meetings   
    3. Coordinate subcommittees of the Honors Council  
    4. Support and advise the Director  
  5. Kathwari Honors Program Courses  
    1. The Honors Council will review and make determinations on all Honors course proposals.  
    2. HON 100 is required for students in the full Honors program and shall be an introduction to the Modes of Inquiry. HON 400 Capstone is required for all Honors students and will include accommodations for students who are simultaneously completing capstone courses, thesis projects, or required field experiences in their majors. All other courses shall meet between two and four Modes of Inquiry; courses that meet 2 modes will be 298 courses, 3 modes will be 398 courses, and 4 modes will be 498 courses. Honors courses may be cross-listed with University departments. The modes of inquiry are:
      1. Artistic Creation: Inquiry through the process of artistic creation or performance of theater, art, literature, music, sculpture, cinema, or other artistic activity. 
      2. Critical Analysis: Inquiry into the various ways in which a text conveys meaning or people derive meaning from a text (viewed broadly to include written work, visual art, music, popular culture, ritual, symbol, cinema, etc.).   
      3. Entrepreneurship and Innovation: Inquiry into start-up mindset, creativity in problem-solving, and risk-taking for personal or public progress.  
      4. Equity and Belonging: Inquiry into the history, progress, and/or current practice of ensuring equity and belonging to all members of a group, organization, nation, or other community.  
      5. Ethics: Inquiry into the values and principles that guide the interactions of such entities as individuals, communities, corporations, organizations, and governments in public and personal environments.  
      6. Historical, Social and Cultural Artistic Creation and Analysis: Inquiry that examines how an event or phenomenon is shaped by history, society, or culture. 
      7. Leadership, Collaboration, and Team-Based Learning: Inquiry into collaboration and teamwork as a fundamental value and into the emergence of strategies for inspiring groups of people in organizational, institutional, and public problem-solving and change.  
      8. Scientific and Mathematical Analysis: Inquiry that engages in the scientific method through experimentation, that considers the history and evolution of experimentation, that considers the social impact of the scientific study of natural processes, or that uses logico-mathematical representation or modeling to understand events or phenomena.  
      9. Technology: Inquiry that incorporates the use of technology, the creation of technological innovation, or new understandings of the role of technology in society.  
      10. Wellness: Inquiry into research, strategies, and best practices to promote the inter-relatedness of mental and physical well-being.   
    3. Department Chairpersons will also be consulted regarding resources required for a course, including labs, equipment, supplies, specific classrooms, etc.  
    4. The Honors Council shall review approved Honors Courses every three years to determine if some courses need to be revised and reapproved in order to ensure that all courses meet Kathwari Honors Program curriculum standards.  
  6. Honors Faculty
    The Honors Council will recruit and select up to 20 full-time faculty members to serve as designated Honors Faculty. Each Honors Faculty member will teach one Honors course per year and will coordinate with the Director of the Honors Program and their Department Chair on scheduling. The first cohort of 10 Honors Faculty members will begin a four-year appointment in Fall 2025; the second cohort will begin a four-year appointment in Fall 2026. In the Fall of the fourth year of each cohort, the Honors Council will call for applications for a new cohort to start the following Fall. An application must be accompanied by consent from the faculty member’s Department Chair and the faculty member’s Dean. There is no limit on the number of times a faculty member may serve as Honors Faculty, and their return is at the discretion of the Honors Council.  
  7. Amendments to Kathwari Honors Program Bylaws  
    1. These bylaws may be amended by a two-third vote of full Honors Council membership at any regularly scheduled meeting, and the subsequent approval of the amendment(s) by the University Senate. 
    2. Notice of the proposed amendment(s) must be presented to the membership 15 days prior to the meeting.