Honors Program
Frequently Asked Questions-Deans
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) How does my School participate in the Madison College Honors Program?
See the Honors Website link entitled Deans: Getting Started with Honors for step-by-step
instructions on how the faculty and students in your School can become part of the Honors
Program at Madison College.
5) 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.
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.
7) 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
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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.
8) 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.
9) How do faculty members become an Honors Program Supervising Faculty Member?
Full-time and part-time faculty members should refer to 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. 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.
10) How many students can faculty members supervise each semester?
Honors Supervising Faculty Members are currently capped at 2 Honors Students per semester.
11) 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.
12) Are Honors Projects offered at the 10-code or 20-code level?
We can create both 10-code and 20-code Honors Courses and both are acceptable to WTCS.
13) Are we allowed to offer 20-code Honors Credits in Occupational Programs?
No. The WTCS has determined that we are not allowed to offer 20-code Honors Credits in 10code offerings.
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14) How do you add a Program, Department, or Discipline offering to the Honors
Program?
Deans, Department Chairs, or Program Directors who wish to offer Honors Project Credits in a
given discipline should contact the Director of the Honors Program. The Director will fill out a
New Course Request Form for each discipline. The information that is needed to complete the
form includes the name of the discipline and whether the Honors Project should be listed as a 10code or a 20-code offering.
15) Can someone talk to our faculty or students about the Honors Program?
Yes, a member of the Honors Advisory Committee will be happy to talk to faculty, students, or
campus groups about the Honors Program. Contact the Director of the Honors Program to
arrange a meeting.
16) 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.
17) 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.
Last updated 12/17/15
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