Honors Program Committee Meeting Minutes Wednesday September 2, 2015 1pm Conference Room – Honors Center Present: William Campbell, Rhyannon Bemis, James Buss, Leanne Wood, Ani Mathers, Stephen Ford, Rachel Buchanan Elizabeth Skoglund, Darby Dicks I. II. III. IV. The meeting began with an introduction of committee members. Rhyannon Bemis was elected unanimously chair of the Bellavance Honors Program Committee for 2015-2016. Committee Accomplishments- An Overview A. The Honors Director welcomed new committee members and addressed/reviewed the accomplishments of the Honors Program Committee over the past two years which included the development of policies and procedures for the Honors Program. B. The Annual Report was distributed and discussed. C. The Honors Director distributed additional demographic information. D. The Committee reviewed Honors retention data and graduation rates both within the Honors Program and within Salisbury University. E. The Honors Director explained that the focus of the program for the past recruiting year was to map Honors student enrollment to the students at Salisbury University. 1. Because of this, the SAT scores, although 100 points higher than the average scores of SU students dropped somewhat from the previous year. 2. 22% of the students in the Honors Program are out-of-state students. 3. In keeping with national standards, the Honors Program is comprised of approximately 10% of the student population. 4. There are an historic number of active students in the Honors Program, taking Honors courses. F. A copy of the Annual Report will be kept in the library. Honors College Proposal Update A. The Director reviewed the status of the Honors College Proposal. 1. The Honors College Proposal was approved by the Honors Program Committee in April and sent to the Faculty Senate. 2. The Director distributed a paper that was sent to the State Board of Regents outlining national standards for Honors Colleges and where we stand in the process. V. 3. The Honors Director distributed a copy of the letter that the President sent to the USM Chancellor, requesting the move from an Honors Program to an Honors College. The letter addressed how the new Honors College at SU would advance the mission of the university and included a strategic plan for implementation. 4. The Director explained that we have addressed the financial concerns of moving to an Honors College: full time director, assistant director, support staff have already been hired, and scholarships are being offered to Honors students. 5. The Director mentioned that there would be an additional cost incurred with an external review of the newly proposed Honors College. 6. The Director discussed that he has met several times with the Development office to discuss fundraising strategies for the new Honors College and the naming opportunities and endowed chairs, and smaller opportunities for sponsorship. 7. The Director distributed a document which addressed the institutions within the USM system that currently have Honors Colleges and those that have Honors Programs. Salisbury University is the largest institution within the USM that does not currently have an Honors College. Two smaller institutions are also making application for the move to Honors Colleges. 8. The Honors Director and the acting Associate Provost will be attending the Education Committee of the State Board of Regents on September 22. a. We should have a response in October. b. If the proposal is approved, the three year implementation plan would begin in the spring 2016. c. The Honors Program Committee could then move forward with proposed changes to Honors courses. d. The faculty would begin dialogues about larger curricular issues. e. Signage could change once proposal is approved, and Admissions could begin marketing the Honors College. 9. Stephen Ford in consultation with the Senate President discussed the role of the faculty senate in approving the proposal. 10. The Honors Director reiterated that the Board of Regents had to receive the proposal before curriculum can be addressed. Procedural issues A. There was a short discussion about posting minutes to Honors Program Committee meetings on the Honors website with a link to the faculty Senate website. B. There was a short discussion about the number of voting members needing to be present to conduct an Honors Program Committee meeting: 4 out of 7. C. The committee agreed that the Honors Program Committee chair would receive the minutes from Joan, redact sensitive content, then send to the student editing the Honors website to be posted, then contact the Faculty Senate webmaster with the link. VI. Meeting was adjourned and the committee will be notified about the results of the Board of Regents meeting before scheduling another committee meeting. Respectfully submitted, Joan Wallace