Minutes HAC meeting October, 23rd 2014
In attendance: Adam Penna, Denise Haggerty, Matthew Zisel, Tat Sang So, Adrienne Chu, Jane Shearer, Johanna McKay, Joseph Napolitano, Nicholas Pestieau, and Albin Cofone.
Welcome:
Cofone initiated the meeting by passing around the new honors brochure. He added that the new brochure serves the mission of the honors program. Also, all the students featured in the materials are indeed honors program grads.
Campus Reports:
Cofone reported the positive growth on the Ammerman Campus: not just in quantity but also in quality. The reasons? Suffolk offers the best students a bargain but also the program is recognized for its quality. Further, honors program helping similar programs across the country, including Lakeland Community College and Fulton Montgomery. A Holocaust Museum trip is being planned.
Penna reported the successful beginning of the new semester and new academic year. The focus of the Eastern Campus honors program is “honors identity.” It important that honors student identify first as honors students.
So reported a growth of 30%. Also, his team has been researching graduation rates and high school recruitment. About 60% of the campus’ honors students graduate.
Please see individual reports for more details.
News:
Cofone reported that honors students will now enjoy the same pre-priority registration benefits as other members of the college community.
Haggerty said that from now until October 30th, honors students who have been advised and who possess a signed blue advising/registration form will be able to register before priority registration. On Nov. 1st the registrar will then, having collected the forms, register the honors students. After Nov. 3rd, any honors student can register for classes. They’ll need the same forms.
New Honors Student Guide:
Cofone presented the honors student guide, a work-in-progress. He stated that it contained the truth about what the honors program is.
Haggerty asked about the use of capital letters. Penna answered.
McKay suggested an editorial change, that is, to switch the paragraph concerning choosing math and science courses with the one after it.
Shearer asked about moving the document along to standards and curriculum. Discussion ensued about the necessity.
Penna said that these are policies already in place. This document only describes them.
McKay asked if all this information was already in the catalogue.
Cofone said some.
Napolitano asked if a minimum grade was necessary for BIO150 or 152 before it would be counted toward graduation. The answer was C or better.
Cofone reiterated that this practice was instituted to help STEM majors.
Shearer asked about transferring credit.
Penna pointed out that the student’s transcript doesn’t say he or she has taken an honors class because he or she hasn’t.
Cofone said that this policy in no way changes the class.
Pestieau asked if the concern was a scheduling thing.
Cofone said yes.
Shearer wondered about the scheduling concerns.
So suggested that offering substitute credits would be an incentive for students to take more honors courses, especially those who are placed closer to the goal of 22 credits for the diploma.
The honors student guide was unanimously approved.
McKay asked about convocation.
So said that convocation is scheduled to take place on the Grant Campus, but then mentioned the possibility of a centrally located event every year at the Ammerman Campus.
Pestieau asked what the venue would be.
Cofone said the gym.
So suggested a revision to the catalogue as a long-term project. We should have, he said, 3 pages or more and it should sketch out the program. The catalogue will be revised again in 2017.
Meeting adjourned.