If you can dream it ... you can achieve it here.

honors v iewbook | 2011-12

HONORSprogram

Director’s WelcomeWelcome to NKU and to the Honors Program. The Honors Program is a supportive, nurturing, and challenging academic community. When you are in an Honors classroom, you are surrounded by some of the best students at NKU, and as one of those students, you will engage in active learning, which involves interaction with your peers and instructors. Honors education is not a style of learning where you passively listen to a lecture; rather, it is a dynamic environment where the individual student voice is important, where all members of a class learn from one another, and where each student can locate and explore his or her personal passion in relation to a given topic.

In addition to academic excellence, the NKU Honors Program emphasizes undergraduate research, global perspectives (both in the class-room and via travel opportunities), and civic engagement. We believe in helping students come to an understanding of how they can be-come responsible, involved community members.

Honors students are a diverse community, and that diversity is part of our unique strength as a program. We will invite you to “stretch,” to broaden your horizons, to make unexpected connections, and to continually challenge yourself in the process of becoming a lifelong learn-er. We also offer students a variety of leadership opportunities, such as serving in the roles of peer mentors and peer advisors, among others.

Everyone who works in the Honors Program at NKU is genuinely devoted to ensuring student success. We are here to teach, to mentor, to inspire, to challenge, to support, and to learn alongside you. I encourage you to meet everyone who works in Honors and to study with as many of the Honors faculty as you can. In addition, please know that as Honors Director, I am always eager and willing to meet with students. I have an “open door” policy with students, so please drop by and say hello. I look forward to supporting your successful academic career in the Honors Program.

Sincerely,

Belle Zembrodt, Interim Director & Lecturer

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your dreamsService Learning & Scholarship, p. 8Imagine creating a project based on principles you have learned in class to actually make a difference in the community. Taking your knowledge and sharing it with the world is what we’re all about.

Honors Community & Leadership, p. 9You can take advantage of a wide range of community benefits that extend the qualities of an Honors education far beyond the formal classroom experience.

Honors Faculty & Staff, p. 10Meet our friendly team! We’re here to help ensure that you meet your goals and dreams. Feel free to contact us with any questions or to set up a meeting!

Are you looking to get more out of your college experience? Would you like to be challenged more deeply? Want

the opportunity to conduct your own research, study abroad, and engage in service learning? Or make friends that

will last a lifetime? Then the University Honors Program is the right place for you! While academics are certainly

important, the University Honors Program offers much, much more. Take a look below...

At a glance: The Honors Advantage

Global Citizenship, p. 7At its core, we expect the Honors Program to be life-changing; there are fewer things that contribute more to this than international experiences. We strongly encourage this through the provision of Honors-specific trips and scholarships.

Honors Curriculum, p. 5The Honors Program is a minor with a major impact. Consisting of 21 credit-hours spread throughout the undergraduate degree, this means about one Honors course per semester.

Undergraduate Research, p. 6The Honors Capstone is the culminating experience of the Honors Minor. Independent work with a faculty director is an opportunity that distinguishes you and propels you forward on your journey.

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Admission Requirements, p. 4

Course Offerings, p. 11

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Admission Requirements

Admission to the Honors Program at NKU is highly selective, and requires more than simply excellent grades and test scores. Here’s what we’re looking for:

•Demonstratedcuriosityaboutawiderangeofsubjects •Successfulsecondaryschoolpreparation(AP,IB,orhonorscourses) •AnunweightedGPAof3.5+andanACTof26+orSATof1170+ •Extra-curricularinvolvementandleadership

Apply now and schedule a vist @ honors.nku.edu or call 859.572.1373.

curriculumThe University Honors Program offers small, interactive, interdisciplinary classes that allow you to receive personalized instruction and to learn more effectively. You will have the opportunity to explore leadership, community engagement, and global studies in depth. Students entering the University Honors Program will fulfill Honors require-ments through Honors seminars, Honors sections of general education courses, and a capstone project. The Honors Program consists of a minimum of 21 credit-hours spread throughout any undergraduate degree. Successful completion of this program results in the awarding of “University Honors Scholar” as a graduation distinction that appears on both the diploma and transcript. This twenty-one credit hour program may also be used to fulfill the requirement for most students to complete a minor; it is often done in conjunction with multiple majors and/or minors.

The Honors Program can work with any major at NKU. For some majors, scheduling the five courses and Capstone will come rather easily. In consultation with an Honors Program advisor, students may elect to use Honors versions of GeneralEducationcoursestoreplaceuptotwocourseswithintheprogram.Likewise,studentsinheavilyprescriptivemajors may request the option to “Honors Enhance” one upper-level course within their major to replace one Honors seminar course. In certain situations, independent study or research credit from a student’s major might apply to part of all of the three or six credit-hours of the Honors Capstone Project.

HONORS CURRICULUM

Honors RequirementsStudents who are considered active in the Honors Program will maintain Honors Status on their academic record. Hon-ors Status affords students the privilege of Super-Priority Registration (SPR) and access to the Honors seminar courses (designated with the HNR prefix).

To remain active within the Honors Program, you must:

•Maintainacumulative,overallGPAof3.25. •EnrollinatleastoneHonorscourseatleasteveryothersemester. •MeetwithanHonorsProgramacademicadvisoreachsemester.

To successfully complete the Honors Program, you must:

•Complete21hoursofHonorscredit,including: o15or18credit-hoursofHonorscoursework. o Three or six credit-hours of Honors Capstone research. •GraduatefromtheUniversitywithaGPAofatleast3.25.

StudentsmayentertheHonorsProgramasatransferorcontinuingNKUstudentbasedonanexcellentoverallGPA.ForthesestudentstheHNR101courseiswaivedandareinsteadrequiredtoenrollin300-levelHonorsseminar.Allotherrequirements remain the same.

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Honors Capstone

The Honors Capstone experience allows you to explore an independent project under the close supervision of a full-time NKU faculty member for three or six hours of Honors credit. The project may take many forms, from a substantial research paper to a significant creative project, and can be done in one or two semesters. The Capstone, regardless of form, should reflect intellectual rigor and the pursuit of excellence.

Students begin considering possible projects early in their Honors studies by consulting with faculty. We recommend moving toward identification of a project topic as early as possible, but no later than the first half of the junior year. In order to begin, you need to discover a research interest and secure a faculty project director. With the guidance of the faculty director, the student prepares a Capstone Project proposal, which is approved by both your faculty project director and the Honors Capstone coordinator prior to registra-tion for the first semester of capstone credit.

We approach research with an openness that allows for unique and creative opportunities to explore topics driven by you. The limits are determined only by your imagination and interests! As you begin your Honors experience, you should not think of research in a narrow sense, as something that always occurs in the library or lab. Our students engage in ethnographic and field research, service-learning research, research prompted by international travel, research based on learning community experiences, among others.

Honors students have incredible opportunities to pursue topics that may be funded by a variety of sources and afford opportunities for travel, fieldwork, public art projects, just to name a few. We encour-age you to work closely with faculty mentors and project directors who can help guide projects that are unique to your areas of interest. The culmination of your research will be presentation opportunities at The Conference of Honors held each semester at NKU.

Our students will often present their research at regional and national conferences. The NKU Honors Program is a member of The National Collegiate Honors Council and The Kentucky Honors Roundtable. Our students have received financial support to present their work at con-ferences hosted by each of these organizations. Students have also participated in regional teleconference panels, as well as at discipline specific conferences like The Kentucky Academy of Science and College Arts Festival. Such opportunities prove invaluable when working to-ward your Capstone or future academic and professional goals.

These research opportunities afford undergraduate students experi-ences that are highly valued by employers, as well as graduate and pro-fessional schools. Research gives you the chance to explore subjects that aren’t covered in classes or seminars at levels that are challenging, exciting, and individualized. The NKU Honors program is your ticket for research and creative opportunities, plus so much more.

UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH

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citizenshipOne central aspect of the NKU Honors Program is the promotion and encouragement of international experiences for our students so that they can be engaged world citizens. Part of the Honors mission is to provide opportunities for students to understand global trends and to analyze the sources and consequences of various global developments and trends. Honors fulfills the University’s mission for students to be informed, contributing members of their communities—regionally, nationally, and in-ternationally. Our goal is accomplished by offering courses that emphasize global citizenship and by providing trips as part of selected courses.

GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP

Trips are integrated into coursework to optimize the internationalization of the educational experience. In class, students prepare for a trip by reading and discussing issues that are integral to the place that they will visit. On the trip, students experience first-hand the lives, the culture, the environment, and the spirit of the location. Students reflect on what they experienced, critically evaluate what they have read, and learn about the influences and interactions of a global economy. We want our students to learn about how they can have an impact and be inspired to make a difference.

Students studying the political, economic, social, and cultural impacts of coffee around the world have experienced life on a coffee plantation in the DominicanRepublicandMexico.Lastyear,studentsenrollinginHNR 309: Berlin in History and CulturehadtheopportunitytotraveltoBerlin,GermanyaspartofthecourseduringSpringBreak2011.Thiscourseprovidedabroadoverviewofthehistorical,social,andculturaldevelopmentsoftwentieth-centuryBerlin,beginningwiththepresentdayandmovinginreversechronologicalorderto1871.Anotherrecentopportunityfortravelaspartofacourse was HNR 306: Empowerment and Environment, which examined the interaction of the biological and human diversity of Ecuador, it concluded with subsequent travel to EcuadorinMay2011.

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serviceImagine creating a project based on principles you have learned in class to actually make a difference in the community. Service learning is a strategy that integrates meaningful community service with instruction and reflection. It promotes learning through active participation, provides opportunities to use skills and knowledge in real-life situations, and extends learning beyond the classroom. Students actively participate in the process of understanding, integrating, and applying knowledge from various subjects as they work to improve their communities. The outcome of these experiences is educated students who are informed, contributing members of their communities.

Service learning projects have included teaching English in Nicaragua to students in an after-school program, an open-mic night to raise awareness about human trafficking, and travel to New Orleans to study the impact of Hurricane Katrina and the types of service that have been provided to rebuild the community.

The NKU Honors program believes that civic engagement and volunteerism can and should be mean-ingful components of the academic experience in Honors. Through active engagement in their com-munities, students can both use and learn talents and skills, see course concepts come to life, and build a foundation for a fruitful civic life. You will also have a unique leadership opportunity to conceptualize and create their own engagement projects for themselves and their peers.

In order to celebrate the civic engagement achievements of Honors students at NKU, the Honors Pro-gram has initiated a new system to recognize student service in the community. You will have the op-portunity to report their engagement efforts using a “unit” system, and will be celebrated on a regular, ongoing basis. At the completion of the Honors Program, those students who have demonstrated supe-rior efforts in the area of civic engagement and volunteerism will have the opportunity to be recognized as “Honors Civic Scholars.”

SERVICE LEARNING

Honors Fellows have access to exclusive scholarhip opportunities to help them fund every aspect of their education, from tuition to travel expenses. Some are major-specific and some are open to students from every discipline:

General awards: Major-specific awards: o Storer Honors Scholarship o Federated Honors Scholarship o Zalla Presidential Memorial Award o SENCORP Honors Scholarship o Albright Honors Scholarship o Castellini Foundation Scholarship

Honors-specific Scholarships

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communityHONORS COMMUNITY & LEADERSHIPWhile academics are important, the University Honors Program offers much more. You can also take advantage of a wide range of community benefits that extend the qualities of an Honors education beyond the classroom experience. These opportunities in-clude the Honors House, Honors Program events, the Honors residential wing in Callahan Hall, and Honors Program-related student groups.

The NKU Honors program provides students with many leadership opportunities including, but not limited to, serving as a Peer Men-tor, Peer Advisor, or on the staff of The Honors Herald.

TheHonorsHouse,locatedonthetopofthehilloverlookingcampusandtheBankofKentuckyCenter,housesseveralclassroomsand the faculty and staff offices of the Honors Program. It also features a student lounge, study areas, a computer lab, and features the best green space on campus, complete with a nature trail through a small wooded area. Yes, it is the academic home of the Honors Program, but it also provides a place for students to study, meet to work on projects, or simply relax in comfortable surround-ings. Throughout the year, the Honors Program offers a number of educational and social events including a speaker series, open microphone nights, and film discussions.

Honors House

The Honors Wing at Callahan Hall is a community of creative and academically motivated scholars who wish to explore and learn together in an engaging environment. This living community is widely recognized as the most active residential community on campus, offering a wide variety of educational and social events, as well as unique leadership opportunities for students. In addition to enjoying the advantages of NKU’s newest residence hall and the nearby Highland Heights amenities, students in the Honors Wing have the advantage of formal study groups and informal discussions with a diverse group of intelligent students.

Honors @ Callahan

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facultystaffDAVID A. EMERY, Coordinator of Recruitment

MA in Community Planning, University of Cincinnati BBAinInternationalMarketing,UniversityofCincinnati

emeryd1@nku.edu

DAVID KIME, Coordinator of AdivsingBAinGeophysics,CollegeofWooster

kimed@nku.edu

RITA THOMAS, Administrative AssistantMSinForcedLabourStudies,UniversityofEdinburgh BAinEnglishEducation,N.KentuckyUniversity BAinHistory/SocialStudiesEducation,N.KentuckyUni.

thomasri@nku.edu

DR. KEN OSWALD, Lecturer PhDinBiologicalSciences,UniversityofSouthCarolina MS in Marine Science, University of South Carolina BSinBiology,XavierUniversity

oswaldk1@nku.edu

ALI RAISOR GODEL, LecturerMA in Communication & Culture, Indiana University BAinCommunications,N.KentuckyUniversity

godela1@nku.edu

KRISTIN HORNSBY, LecturerMFA in Dramatic Writing, Florida State University BFAinTheatre,N.KentuckyUniversity

hornsbyk1@nku.edu

FACULTY & STAFF

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Course OfferingsEach semester the Honors Program offers a unique selection of classes, from ourfoundationalHonors101coursesforfreshmentooursignature300-levelseminar- style courses. Additionally, there are many Honors sections of gen-eral education courses which can help you complete the program even faster. There are lots from which to choose, but check out a small sample below:

HONORS 101 •Culture,Community,&Identity •ThePursuitofHappiness •EndangeredSpecies&Conservation

HONORS 300-LEVEL SEMINARS •Androids,Zombies,&Brains •ArtsforSocialChange •Empowerment,Environment,Ecuador

HONORS GENERAL EDUCATION •HonorsEnglish151 •HonorsAnthropology100 •HonorsIntegratedScience110(+lab)

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NORTHERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY Honors Program, Honors House 1 Nunn Drive, Highland Heights, KY 41099 tel 859.572.5400 fax 859.572.5555

Nonprofit OrganizationU.S. Postage

PAIDNewport, KYPermit No. 2

This publication was prepared by Northern Kentucky University and printed with state funds (KRS 57.375). Northern Kentucky University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, religion, marital status, sexual orientation or veteran status in training activities or employment. Educational programs or activities are set forth in accordance with Title IX, Title VI, Title VII, ADA and Section 504. For more information, please contact the Office of Associ-ate Provost for Student Success, Lucas Administrative Center 502, Nunn Drive, Highland Heights, KY 41099, (859) 572-6388, which has been designated to coordinate the school’s efforts to comply with the aforementioned regulations.

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