Oregon State University

Academic Report for 2007 – 2008

University Honors College

Oregon State University

August 2008

uNIVERSITY hONORS cOLLEGE

ACADEMIC REPORT FOR 2007-2008

The University Honors College (UHC) is the OSU home for high-achieving undergraduate students. These are the missions of the UHC:

·  To serve the needs and aspirations of high-potential undergraduate students;

·  To deliver an enhanced curriculum featuring small classes with OSU’s most talented and dedicated faculty;

·  To enable meaningful and impactful undergraduate research experiences that leverage OSU’s strengths in the five thematic areas; and

·  To deliver on institutional and student promise by conferring the Honors Baccalaureate, OSU’s most prestigious undergraduate degree and one of just twelve such degrees available anywhere.

UHC students boast top-tier credentials upon arrival, enjoy spectacular academic and community opportunities while at OSU, and depart leadership-ready. To the extent that graduates are OSU’s greatest contribution to the state and to society, Honors graduates are a premium component of that contribution.

2007-2008 Highlights

1.  Programmatic Achievements

a.  Student engagement and success

·  During the 2007-2008 academic year, the UHC conferred 81 Honors Baccalaureate degrees to 67 students from six academic colleges, led by the College of Science with 33 degrees, followed by Liberal Arts with 19, Engineering with 16, Agricultural Sciences with 7, Health and Human Science with 4 and Business with 2. Up to 25 additional students are expected to complete the Honors Baccalaureate during Summer Term 2008.

·  Continuing an established trend as reported by the Office of Institutional Research, nearly nine out of ten of students who enter the UHC go on to complete an OSU undergraduate degree within six years. Over 94% of the most recent incoming cohort of UHC students persisted to the second year.[1]

·  During Fall term 2007, there were 492 students enrolled in the University Honors College.

·  During 2007-2008, 142 OSU faculty members representing 43 departments in ten colleges taught 107 sections of Honors courses and served as the primary thesis mentor for a graduating Honors student. Student Credit Hours (SCH) generated by UHC courses were up 8.6% over 2006-2007, and 15.3% over 2005-2006.

·  The following bar graphic shows the distribution of UHC students and coursework credits offered by college for 2007-2008. The College of Science (COS) continues to be the leading provider of Honors coursework, for which COS received $168,750 in total reimbursements. As is the case university-wide, the large cohort of Engineering students is well-served by the extensive offerings in Science and in the Baccalaureate Core, despite a relatively small number of Honors credit hours offered directly in partnership with the College of Engineering.

·  Exit interviews for graduating seniors are conducted in person with an Academic Advisor or they can be conducted on-line by the student before graduation. The exit survey covers the student’s experiences during the thesis process, feedback for the UHC, student accomplishments, and their plans for the future. From the surveys we have been able to glean important information about our thesis process and implement changes recommended by students.

Statistics since beginning the exit survey process (200702-200900)

48% of students participate in study abroad or International Internships

After OSU graduation the next steps for UHC graduates are as follows: 40% graduate school, 29% employment (including service opportunities, e.g. Peace Corps and Teach for America), and 10% medical school with travel, law school, and pharmacy school and veterinary school and “other” following at lesser percentages.

Graduate School outside of OSU:

Columbia University

Loma Linda University (Medical School)

Michigan State University

National College of Natural Medicine

Oregon Health Science University

University of California Berkeley

University of Puget Sound

University of Victoria

Opportunities unique from traditional graduate or professional school opportunities

·  Peace Corps

·  Teach for America

·  Fulbright Grants (2008, one in Ecuador & one in Chile)

·  ERASMUS MUNDUS program (2 year masters program) Erasmus Mundus is an international top-level program supporting integrated courses of high-level academic quality and mobility from students and visiting scholars from around the world.

Quotes from exit surveys:

“I thought that being able to take classes from handpicked profs made my academic experience much more enjoyable. These professors were all very motivated and knowledgeable. You can almost never go wrong with a UHC class.” Daniel Bai

“[I liked the] small interactive class sizes that facilitated group learning, the close community of people you get to know and see regularly across disciplines.” Kenneth Barrese

“Having to do the thesis has helped me critically assess physics education. The CS Lewis class really impacted me in being a future educator it helped me have a less biased view.” Drew Watson

“Every UHC class I took was taught by an amazing person.” Christina Hyde

“The experience made me feel like it wasn't such a big university.” Christina Hyde

“I felt at home here and I had a lot of added support. I had a place I could go and study with like-minded people.” Gail Woodside

“The UHC offered a wide learning environment that I could explore. Academically I could excel and interact with professors.” Gail Woodside

·  Events continue to be a focus of the Honors community. Some events are aimed at the larger campus community, while others are focused more internally.

·  Events with a campus-wide focus during 2007-2008 included the following:

·  Leadership Forum “Creating your own Futures” (100 attendees)

·  UHC Informational/Recruitment Forums (10-30 attendees in Fall and Winter terms in support of on-campus outreach and recruitment of current OSU students to Honors)

·  Clean up YOUR Campus (150 attendees, in partnership with ASOSU)

·  Presidential Forum: “Fees, Funding, and Financial Responsibility: Where Does My Money Go?” (60 attendees)

·  Women’s Symposium: “Women in Politics Internationally” (30 attendees)

·  UHC Thesis Fair (150 attendees-held in the Valley Library Rotunda)

·  Fall BBQ (250 attendees, attracting many participants in the McNary residential complex, which continues to house the UHC-UHDS residential partnership)

·  Mom’s Weekend Brunch and Talent Show (250 attendees, co-sponsored with the Student Alumni Association)

·  Board of Regents Recognition Reception (200 attendees, recognizing faculty and student participation in Honors campus-wide)

·  Events with a more internal Honors-centric focus are dedicated to building community and identity for Honors students, all of whom are dual-citizens of the UHC and the college of the disciplinary major.

·  Thesis Workshops presented by UHC staff: “Getting Started”, “Writing Strategies”, “The Poster”, “The Defense”

·  “Getting into Grad School” (10 attendees, presented by UHC faculty member Ken Krane)

·  “Chevron Informational Session: Career Opportunities in Alternative Energy” (15 attendees, presented by UHC alumnus and Chevron engineer Dan Euhus)

·  Opportunity Plus Information Sessions (15 attendees, highlighting graduate opportunities in the College of Engineering)

·  Research Your Life: Building a resume that works (3 attendees)

·  “Life in The Gem” (30 attendees)

·  Caroling at a local home for the elderly (25 attendees)

·  OSU Food Drive events to benefit Linn-Benton Food Share: YouTube with Eric Hill (75 attendees), Bake and Media Sale (varied attendees)

·  New Student Orientation (100 attendees)

·  Fall Camping Trip, Winter Ski Trip and Spring Float Trip (20-80 attendees each trip)

·  Haunted Corn Maze

·  UHC Study Break Socials (30-75 attendees each term)

·  Dad’s Weekend Tailgater (100 attendees)

·  UHC Rec. Night (85 attendees)

·  UHC Dance (100 attendees)

·  Sleep in the Slug (35 attendees)

·  UHC Spring Picnic (150 attendees)

·  Commencement Reception (200 attendees)

·  UHC Student Groups

·  Honors Advisory and Activities Committee (12 attendees each week)

·  The Chronicle Staff

·  SLUG Staffers

·  Honors Envoys - UHC Recruitment Team (5 members)

·  Three UHC students serve on the UHC Council, which provides governance liaison to the Faculty Senate.

1. Research and its impact

·  In the 2006-2007 academic year the UHC had 30 first-time faculty thesis mentors. In 2007-2008, 42 first-time faculty thesis mentors began working with UHC students.

·  OSUF funds totaling more than $2000 were distributed to UHC students to offset expenses related to thesis expenses and presentation of results at professional meetings.

·  New UHC coursework highlighted ongoing research and scholarship within the five thematic areas.

1. Introduction to Climate Science (Karen Shell - COAS)
2. Introduction to Mathematical Ecology (Vrushali Bokil - COS)
3. Managing in a Global Workplace (Toni Doolen - COE)

·  Under the direction of dedicated faculty mentors, Honors students write theses that represent more than undergraduate excellence. Honors scholars contribute materially to human knowledge. The following table provides a sample of the diversity of Honors scholarship as embodied in the Honors Thesis.

Name / Major / Title
Naomi Tuinstra / Environmental Sci. / Analysis of the Overall Sustainability of African Palm-based Biodiesel in Ecuador: An environmental, social, and artistic perspective
Marika Teose / Mathematics / The Effect of Temperature on the Survival of Chinook Eggs and Fry
Christina Murphy / Fisheries & Wildlife Sci. / Intertidal Ecology along the Western Coastlines of the Pacific: Upwelling and Bottom-up Effects in Chile and Oregon
Mollie Holmes / Mathematics & Art / Creative Authority in Contemporary Art
Allison Blackwell / General Science / Effects of Medial and Lateral Motion of the Foot during a Forward Slip On the Loss and Recovery of Balance
Kathleen Kalk / History / Housing Reform at Turn of Century New York
Richard Przybyla / Electrical & Comp. Engr. / Design of a low frequency, low area Digital to Analog Converter
Angela Rogge / Civil Engineering / Driving Past the Jargon: Designing Multimedia Devices to Clarify Transportation Engineering Concepts
Krista Hubbard / Business / The Norwegian Adventure
Kimberly Marshall / Animal Sciences / The Importance of Bedside Manner in Delivering Patient-Centered Care
Veronica Mc Shane / Health Management and Policy / Legislation & Other Health Policy Issues that Affect Access to Health Care Services for Undocumented Immigrants
Nellie de Vries / Speech Communication / Legislative Rhetoric
Annette Mc Farland / French & Int’l Studies / The Impact of World Literature in Secondary Schools in Oregon and Chile: A Comparative Case Study

·  All UHC theses are available through the digital collection of the Valley Library at OSU

http://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/dspace/handle/1957/7

·  The Earth System 5 partnership with the College of Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences and the Department of Geosciences has attracted its first Honors students to make the transition to graduate studies in Earth Systems at OSU.

·  UHC graduate Max Brugger will pursue an interdisciplinary graduate degree through the IGERT Ecosystems Informatics program.

·  The Opportunity PLUS partnership with the College of Engineering has increased the rate at which Engineering students complete the Honors Baccalaureate and has effectively doubled the rate at which Honors students go on to graduate study in Engineering at OSU. The following chart illustrates the impact of Opportunity PLUS on graduate recruitment of Honors engineering students since the inception of the program in Fall 2006.

c.  Outreach and engagement

·  The UHC welcomed 166 new students in Fall 2007. A further 184 of OSU’s top new undergraduates are slated to arrive in Fall 2008. Nearly 90% of incoming students graduated in top 10% of their high school class. The average high school GPA of these incoming students is 3.98 (un-weighted average on a 4.0 scale) and the average SAT score is 2000.

·  The following chart illustrates that applications to the UHC are on the rise. Recruitment of successful current OSU students continues to enhance campus engagement of the UHC. The chart also shows a significant jump in first-year applications. This jump is due to the implementation, in partnership with the Office of Admissions, of a “trigger letter”, an email signed by the UHC Dean describing the Honors opportunity that is automatically delivered to any student who enters the Admissions Recruit database with a high school GPA of at least 3.75.

·  Applicant surveys show that the most commonly cited source of first information about the University Honors College is word-of-mouth from family or friends. The UHC reputation remains strong, but the principal recruiting challenge continues to be simply getting the word out.

d.  Community and Diversity

·  The UHC has actively participated in the Diversity Action Planning process. UHC staff has been present at all of the Diversity Action Plan meetings and diversity workshops this year held by the Office of Community and Diversity. This presence has given the UHC the opportunity to share ideas, accomplishments, challenges and network and problem solve with departments across campus.

·  The DeLoach Work Scholarship program enables OSU faculty members to support undergraduates working at tasks that materially enhance their academic training and that support the instructional, curricular, outreach, or diversity goals of the university. Dr. and Mrs. Daniel Barton DeLoach endowed the DeLoach Work Scholarship Fund with generous gifts and bequests between 1977 and 1988. Dr. DeLoach was an Oregon State faculty member from 1935 to 1949. Funded activities include tutoring, curriculum development, community outreach, and promotion of diversity.

Eleven students were funded during AY 2008, with total financial award of $9900 (actual spent $6108.44). Examples of projects that have been funded this year:

Project example #1: A student worked to establish an American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) student chapter at OSU. The DeLoach recipient gained leadership and organizational skills boosting momentum among students, faculty, and community members. This project benefits the students’ professional networking skills and the OSU campus as a whole.

Project example #2: A student worked with digital imaging software to support the Oregon State Arthropod Collection (OSAC). The student took photos of insects to aid students in insect recognition for their collections. The student learned technical skills (selecting one insect out of millions, preparing the insect, lighting, labeling, etc.), and his work will benefit students and the community for years to come. This work will be used by students in Z 365 Biology of Insects. The images are also available on OSAC website that can be accessed by community members.

Project example #3: A student created academic infrastructure for the social psychology lab. The student designed a file system, organized resources, created a relational database, and wrote a protocol book for the lab. This work paved the way for psychology research assistants to continue their studies, and will garner future Honors theses and other projects from the much-improved organization. This work also created a smoother process for the PSY 401 students and Teaching Assistant by strengthening the authenticity of the learning objectives.