Honors Program
Frequently Asked Questions-Faculty
1) What is the Honors Program?
The Madison College Honors Program is a college-wide, project-based program. Qualified
students work with an Honors Supervising Faculty Member over the course of a semester to
develop an Honors Project within the faculty member’s discipline. The student and faculty
member complete an Honors Program Learning Contract and determine the learning objectives,
meeting schedule, required resources, and criteria for grading the Honors Project. Students can
enroll in 2 – 3 Honors Project Credits per semester, and up to 6 Honors Project Credits during
their time at Madison College. Each Honors Project Credit requires 51 hours of work. Work
includes such activities as meetings, research, reading, writing, designing, drawing, building,
recording, practicing, and/or developing and giving presentations. The Honors Project is graded
at the end of the semester by the Honors Supervising Faculty Member.
2) Who is eligible to participate in the Honors Program?
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Current Madison College students with at least 12 earned college credits and a cumulative
GPA of 3.5 or higher.
High School graduating seniors who have a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher.
Honors Students must maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher to remain eligible for the
Honors Program
Students who enroll in an Honors Project are in the Honors Program. Students who successfully
complete 4-6 Honors Project credits during their time at Madison College are recognized with a
medallion. Other benefits of the Honors Program include the opportunity for students to learn
more about a topic or develop new skills, the opportunity to work closely with a faculty member
on an Honors Project, receiving strong letters of recommendation from Honors Supervising
Faculty Members, increased competitiveness for scholarships and awards, and increased
competitiveness when transferring to other colleges and universities or when entering the job
market. We are also in the process of developing Articulation Agreements between the Madison
College Honors Program and several 4-year university Honors Programs.
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3) How can I find out more about the Honors Program?
More information about the Honors Program can be found on the Honors Program website at
http://madisoncollege.edu/honors-program. Also, contact the Director of the Honors Program
for more information:
Dr. Julia Haseleu
(608) 243-4715
Honors Office B3251 Truax
JHaseleu@madisoncollege.edu
4) What is an Honors Project?
There are several different options for the type of project that a student may develop into an
Honors Project. Options are dependent upon the subject area of the faculty member with whom
the student chooses to work. Past Honors Projects have included:
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Writing a literature review
Conducting research
Constructing a website
Composing new music
Inventing a new product or process
Original works of fiction
Developing a business or marketing plan
Designing a building
Creating artwork
Developing new mobile apps
Modifying an engine
Original works of poetry
The details of the each Honors Project are worked out by the student and the Honors Supervising
Faculty Member when they complete the Honors Program Learning Contract. Each Honors
Project is worth 2 – 3 credits. Over the course of one semester, the student produces an
academically rigorous body of work that allows the student to explore more in-depth a topic in
the Faculty member’s discipline. The completed Honors Project may be presented by the student
at the Honors Competition at the end of the semester. The Honors Project is graded by the
Supervising Honors Faculty Member at the end of the semester.
5) What would not be appropriate for an Honors Project?
The educational experiences that would not fit under the auspices of the Honors Program would
be remedial and accelerated courses, internships, service learning experiences, study abroad
programs, and experiential learning. The expectation is for the Honors Projects to provide
challenging learning opportunities for academically outstanding students that will enhance
student achievement and success. The Supervising Faculty Member and the student are
encouraged to be as creative as possible when crafting these experiences.
6) Does the Honors Program consist of Honors Courses?
No. The Madison College Honors Program is a project-based program, not a course-based
program. An Honors Supervising Faculty Member works with an Honors Student over the
course of a semester to create an Honors Project. The Honors Project allows the student to
explore more in-depth a topic in the faculty member’s discipline.
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7) How do I become an Honors Program Supervising Faculty Member?
See the Honors Program website link entitled Honors Faculty: Getting Started with Honors
for step-by-step instructions on becoming part of the Honors Program at Madison College.
8) What is the Honors Faculty Workshop?
All full-time and part-time faculty members interested in serving as an Honors Supervising
Faculty Member must first complete an Honors Faculty Workshop. The workshop is 4-hours
long and covers such topics as the history and details of the Madison College Honors Program,
recruiting and supervising students, developing an Honors Project, and completing a Learning
Contract. The Workshop counts toward the FQAS Continuing Professional Development
categories of Student Success, Currency and Content Expertise, and College and Strategic
Interests.
9) How do I sign up for an Honors Faculty Workshop?
Upcoming Honors Faculty Workshops are listed on the CETL website under “Professional
Development Workshops.” You can sign up for the Honors Faculty Workshop on the CETL
website. Once you are logged into the “Course Registration” area on the CETL site, you will
click on “Register for a Course or Session” and then choose the course type "Professional
Development Workshops." If a faculty member has problems registering for a workshop,
contact the staff in CETL (608-246-6956) for assistance.
10) Are more Honors Faculty Workshops going to be offered?
Yes, additional workshops will be offered over the course of each semester. As new workshops
are added to the schedule, announcements will be sent out to all faculty members, and flyers will
be posted around campus, on the bulletin board outside of the Honors Program office (B3251
Truax), and in CETL.
11) What is the compensation for completing the Honors Faculty Workshops?
There is no compensation for attending the Honors Faculty Workshop. It is mandatory for
participation as an Honors Supervising Faculty Member. The Workshop counts toward the
FQAS Continuing Professional Development categories of Student Success, Currency and
Content Expertise, and College and Strategic Interests.
12) Is the Honors Program limited only to Arts & Sciences faculty members?
The Madison College Honors Program is a college-wide program. Full-time and part-time
faculty from all of the Madison College Schools are eligible to participate. This includes faculty
from the Madison, Fort Atkinson, Portage, Reedsburg, and Watertown campuses.
13) Do the Honors Students that I supervise have to currently be enrolled in a course with
me?
Honors Students can be either current or former students of the Honors Supervising Faculty
Member. The one exception is an incoming High School student who has a 3.5 or higher High
School GPA. In this case, the Director of the Honors Program will pair the student with a willing
Honors Supervising Faculty Member in the discipline the student wishes to study.
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14) How many students can I supervise each semester?
Honors Supervising Faculty Members are currently capped at 2 Honors Students per semester.
15) Are current or former students who were enrolled in one of my on-line courses
eligible to participate in the Honors Program?
Yes, students who have taken or are currently enrolled in on-line courses with the Honors
Supervising Faculty Member can participate in the Honors Program.
16) Once I am an Honors Supervising Faculty Member, do I have to supervise students
each semester?
No, the Honors Program is designed so faculty can move in and out of the program as schedules
and student interest dictates.
17) Can the Madison College regional campuses participate in the Honors Program?
Yes. From the beginning, the regional campuses have been included in the design of the Honors
Program. Currently, faculty members from the regional campuses are attending Honors Faculty
Workshops at Truax. However, if there is enough interest among the faculty members at the
regional campuses, a workshop could be held at any of the campuses. Contact the Director of
the Honors Program to arrange for an Honors Faculty Workshop to be held at a regional campus.
18) How are Honors Supervising Faculty Members compensated for their participation?
Honors Supervising Faculty Members will receive a stipend of $375 for each Honors Student
supervised. With a current cap of 2 students each semester, faculty members can receive a
maximum of $750 each semester. Compensation for supervising students in the Honors Program
will not include service or a course release. Honors Students must stay enrolled until the Date of
Record in order for faculty members to receive compensation for their supervision.
To obtain the stipend, Honors Supervising Faculty Members need to complete and submit a
Stipend Request Form to their Administrative Coordinator who will obtain the Dean’s
signature by the deadline. See Honors Program Important Dates for the deadline. The
Administrative Coordinator will then send the signed forms to the Honors Program Director.
19) What if my Honors Student does not complete his/her Honors Project?
If your Honors Student is not able to complete his/her Honors Project by the end of the semester,
it may be possible for the student to receive an Incomplete. Please discuss this with your Honors
Student. If circumstances warrant the grade of Incomplete, the student will have one additional
semester to complete the work. If circumstances do not warrant the grade of Incomplete, the
student should withdraw from the Honors Project before the end of the semester. This also will
withdraw the student from the Honors Program.
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20) How does my Honors Student withdraw from an Honors Project?
If your student must withdraw from the Honors Project, he/she will need to notify you by e-mail
and phone. You will then forward your student’s e-mail to the Honors Program Director and
the Administrative Coordinator of your School to officially drop your student from the Honors
Project. Your student is not officially dropped until you both receive a confirmation e-mail from
the Administrative Coordinator of your School. Expect this process to take several days.
Withdrawing from an Honors Project is governed by the same refund policies that apply to other
courses at Madison College.
21) How do I donate money to support the Honors Program?
The Madison College Foundation has established an Honors Program Fund (#0675). Anyone
can submit a pledge card to the Foundation referencing the Honors Program Fund by name
and/or by number. Donations can either be a lump sum or done by payroll deduction, or you can
follow the instructions on the Donation link on the Honors Program Website.
22) How do donations support the Honors Program?
Money donated to the Honors Program Fund (#0675) will be used to provide Materials
Scholarships for Honors Student projects, Student Travel Scholarships for off-campus
presentations and competitions, the bi-annual Honors Competition Awards, Honors Medallions
for recognition of successful completion of the Honors Program, and some operating expenses of
the Honors Program.
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PART-TIME FACULTY—ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
1) Are part-time faculty eligible to serve as Honors Supervising Faculty Members?
Yes, part-time faculty members have always been part of the design of the Honors Program.
2) What is the compensation for part-time faculty who supervise an Honors Student?
The compensation for full-time and part-time faculty is the same. See #18 above.
3) What is the compensation for part-time faculty who complete the Honors Faculty
Workshop?
There is no compensation for attending the Honors Faculty Workshop. It is mandatory for
participation as an Honors Supervising Faculty Member. The Workshop counts toward the
FQAS Continuing Professional Development categories of Student Success, Currency and
Content Expertise, and College and Strategic Interests.
4) Will part-time faculty receive hourly meeting rate compensation for attending the
Honors Faculty Workshop or supervising Honors Students?
No, part-time faculty will not receive hourly meeting rate compensation for attending the Honors
Faculty Workshop or supervising Honors Students.
5) Does the time spent serving as an Honors Supervising Faculty Member count towards
a part-time faculty member's overall employment hours?
No, time spent supervising Honors Students does not count toward overall employment hours.
Last updated 12/17/15
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