Honors College Summary
1
A Summary of the Proposal to Transition the UNCW Honors Scholars Program to an
Honors College
Katherine Bruce, Director, Honors Scholars Program
Johnson Akinleye, Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Programs
And with the support and endorsement of
Faculty Honors Advisory Council, Student Honors Advisory Council, CSURF Board, and
Academic Standards Committee
______________________________________
The UNCW Honors Scholars Program is a mature unit that supports students and
faculty in all Schools and Colleges on campus. In addition to implementing a 4-year
honors curriculum, it has already taken on a support role for coordinating undergraduate
research opportunities on campus. Further, the program enjoys a strong reputation
nationally; it exceeds the basic characteristics of honors programs and already meets most
of the characteristics of fully-developed honors colleges as recommended by the National
Collegiate Honors Council, the recognized leader in honors education.
Promoting the Honors Scholars Program to an Honors College enables the unit to
more fully support its roles of:




attracting and retaining high-ability students to the campus,
providing opportunities for students and faculty to develop enhanced and engaged
learning experiences (including global studies, undergraduate research and
applied learning),
mentoring students to be competitive for national fellowships and scholarships, and
offering a focal point for alumni and donor engagement.
Why an Honors College?
1. Recruiting students for UNCW: Prospective students who are looking at UNCW are stronger
academically and want more enriched academic opportunities. Many of the entering
undergraduates have taken honors and AP courses and they want that experience to continue in
college. Thus, developing additional ways to highlight our enriched academic opportunities to
prospective students is a priority so that UNCW remains competitive for the strongest students.
Transitioning to an honors college model is a way that many of our sister schools underscore their
commitment to enriched academic experiences for undergraduates.
Honors College Summary
2
2. Highlighting UNCW initiatives that involve applied learning, internships, and hands-on
instruction: Honors offers a structure to centralize information about many of these initiatives,
showcase them, and develop even more ways to advise students about how to take advantage of
these opportunities.
3. Fundraising: As UNCW is in a fundraising campaign to support scholarships and other
programs, developing additional naming and scholarship opportunities is a need. In the
experience of many schools that have transitioned from Honors Program to Honors College, the
organizational change has been the incentive for new funding opportunities.
4. Alignment with sister institutions: Our UNCW Honors Program is well respected regionally
and nationally. We already meet all characteristics of a fully-developed HP, and most of the
characteristics of a fully developed Honors College. Nationally, the maturation of an honors
program such as ours is usually noted by its transition to an Honors College. Many of our peers
and sister schools have recently transitioned to Honors Colleges and we want to be able to
compete directly with them for students.
Implementation
Reorganization to an Honors College could begin immediately with no EPA or SPA changes or
increases in funding. This is a revenue-neutral proposal.
1. Although recommended nationally, there is no requirement to convert the “director” position
to a “dean” position. There are several Honors Colleges that are headed by positions other
than dean (for example, associate dean, director, or associate/assistant vice-chancellor). What
is mandated nationally is that the head of an Honors College should report directly to the
Provost and have a seat at the Deans’ Council. It would be appropriate for the Director to
have a seat at the Provost’s Academic Coordinating Council in the UNCW structure; the
Provost and Deans are in agreement with this.
2. A transition to an Honors College could begin immediately with no additional funding.
Recent SPA changes that have already occurred in Honors support development of the
programmatic changes outlined in the full proposal.
3. For program organization, we would extend and codify the umbrella structure that currently
exists with the Honors Program overseeing CSURF as in the organizational framework.
Honors College Summary
3
Thus, the Honors College would include oversight of all aspects of Honors (four-year,
departmental honors and international), undergraduate research/CSURF, and comprehensive
national fellowship advising. Again, it is noteworthy that CSURF and national fellowship
advising opportunities are open to all students, plus any UNCW student with a 3.2 GPA that
has completed 74 hours can participate in the departmental honors experience.
4. The Honors Council has already developed a mission statement for the Honors College,
revised job descriptions for the director and associate director, and suggested a structure for
an external advisory board.
5. With Senate support, Academic Affairs is ready to take a proposal to advance the honors unit
to Honors College to GA. Such a proposal would go directly to UNC-GA Academic Affairs.
This does not require a formal request for a new program since it does not set up a new
degree.
Benefits to Honors and to UNCW
1. First, we would develop the organizational structure to offer extended mentoring for
undergraduate research and national fellowship advising. National fellowship advising is
currently being done in CSURF, several offices and departments- without a central source.
Further, the current director and associate director would develop a mentoring program for
freshmen and sophomores. We expect this to translate into more, and better qualified,
applicants for national scholarships.
2. Honors Global Citizens recognition can be implemented. This joint partnership with the
Office of International Programs is a way to pilot a program that may extend to other students
on campus as well. Using the umbrella of an Honors College to pilot the program
underscores its strategic nature, emphasizing the importance of a global perspective.
3. Advancing to an Honors College, in concert with the implementation of University Studies
and the QEP, is an excellent time to reassess the honors curriculum requirements, and
underscore the importance of global, experiential and interdisciplinary opportunities for
students. Again, doing this under the umbrella of an Honors College emphasizes the relation
of the honors curriculum with undergraduate research and international opportunities.
Honors College Summary
4
4. Transitioning to an Honors College now could allow additional funding opportunities in
terms of much needed merit scholarships and support for undergraduate research and creative
scholarly activity.
5. Finally, transitioning to an Honors College underscores the emphasis that UNCW places on
excellence in undergraduate teaching and scholarly engagement, and would position UNCW
in line with honors experiences at our sister institutions. Our Honors Program is competitive
with the Honors Colleges below and should be recognized as such.
Peer and benchmark institutions that have Honors Colleges:

College of Charleston

Appalachian State University

Towson University

UNC Charlotte
UNC system schools with Honors Colleges:

UNC Charlotte

Western Carolina University

UNC Greensboro

East Carolina University

UNC Pembroke

Appalachian State University
CAA schools with Honors Colleges:

Towson University

George Mason University

Drexel University

Virginia Commonwealth

Hofstra University

Old Dominion University
University