Frequently Asked Questions

 

1. How is the program structured?
2. What are modes of inquiry?
3. What are the requirements for admission
   and when do I apply?
4. What are the program benefits?
5. How challenging are honors courses?
6. What is an enhanced course and how do I enhance a course?
7. Does the program offer scholarships?
8. How do I apply?
9. Who do I contact for more information?

How is the program structured?

1. During their first semester in the full program, Kathwari Honors students enroll in a one-credit course entitled “The Nature of Inquiry” (HON 100). This foundational course explores an issue or topic from a number of disciplinary perspectives. The goal is to acquaint students with the fundamental ways in which various disciplines pose questions and seek answers.
2. After completing HON 100, Kathwari Honors students must take four Modes of Inquiry courses (a total of 12 credit hours). These courses are offered every semester by the program’s distinguished Honors Faculty. A full listing of available Honors courses is available here. Students in the Associate Program are required to take two of these courses.
3. Kathwari Honors students must also complete four Honors Activities, which might include a wide variety of service projects such as volunteering at a local nonprofit, presenting at a state or regional conference, tutoring students, serving as a student organization officer, or even opting to study abroad. Students in the Associate Program must complete two Honors Activities.
4. Junior and senior Kathwari Honors students may participate in the honors teaching practicum (HON 497), which allows them to serve as teaching assistants in a class within their major, or the research practicum (HON 487), which allows them to work with professors in their fields of interest as research assistants. Students in practica will receive Honors Activity credit. 
5. Lastly, Kathwari Honors students must complete the HON 400 Honors Capstone Seminar, which incorporates the Kathwari Spring Seminars lecture series and invites students to complete a capstone project. 
6. Courses taken in the Kathwari Honors Program also may be applied toward fulfilling general education areas.

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What are modes of inquiry?

Honors Modes of Inquiry:

Artistic Creation 

Inquiry through the process of artistic creation or performance of theater, art, literature, music, sculpture, cinema, or other artistic activity. 

Critical Analysis 

Inquiry into the various ways in which a text conveys meaning or people derive meaning from a text (viewed broadly to include written work, visual art, music, popular culture, ritual, symbol, cinema, etc.).  

Entrepreneurship and Innovation 

Inquiry into start-up mindset, creativity in problem-solving, and risk-taking for personal or public progress. 

Equity and Belonging 

Inquiry into the history, progress, and/or current practice of ensuring equity and belonging to all members of a group, organization, nation, or other community. 

Ethics 

Inquiry into the values and principles that guide the interactions of such entities as individuals, communities, corporations, organizations, and governments in public and personal environments. 

Historical, Social and Cultural Analysis 

Inquiry that examines how an event or phenomenon is shaped by history, society, or culture. 

Leadership, Collaboration, and Team-Based Learning 

Inquiry into collaboration and teamwork as a fundamental value and into the emergence of strategies for inspiring groups of people in organizational, institutional, and public problem-solving and change. 

Scientific and Mathematical Analysis 

Inquiry that engages in the scientific method through experimentation, that considers the history and evolution of experimentation, that considers the social impact of the scientific study of natural processes, or that uses logico-mathematical representation or modeling to understand events or phenomena. 

Technology 

Inquiry that incorporates the use of technology, the creation of technological innovation, or new understandings of the role of technology in society. 

Wellness 

Inquiry into research, strategies, and best practices to promote the inter-relatedness of mental and physical well-being. 

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What are the requirements for admission and when do I apply?

Entering first-year students must have an SAT score of 1200 (1650 on the three part SAT) or graduate in the top 25% of their class to be eligible to apply for the program. Students already enrolled at the university must have a minimum GPA of 3.5 to apply. Since the program is competitive, meeting these minimum academic requirements is not a guarantee of admission. All students in the Program must maintain a 3.2 GPA to remain eligible. Students falling under the 3.2 GPA are granted a grace semester to improve their GPA or face expulsion from the program.   Students who feel that their GPA or SAT scores do not accurately reflect their academic background or abilities may apply directly to the Program Director for admission based on other academic criteria.

High school seniors or transfer students apply for university admission by the second Friday in November for early admission consideration or February 1 for final consideration.  Early admissions decisions are usually made by early February and final decisions are usually made by early April.  Students already enrolled at the university may apply at any time.

Please note that scholarships are not offered directly through the program. If you are accepted into the program, this does not mean that you are guaranteed to get a scholarship. In addition, only incoming students may be eligible for scholarships, which are administered by the WCSU Admissions Office. At this time, the Honors Program does not offer scholarships to current WCSU students.

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What are the program benefits?

Membership in the Kathwari Honors Program provides numerous benefits for participants. First and foremost, the program is designed to foster the type of learning environment that will prepare students for success in graduate school, professional programs, or work. Participation in the program signifies to graduate programs and employers that you have undertaken extra efforts to enrich your college work. In addition to these benefits, the honors program also provides a number of specific rewards. To take advantage of these benefits members must remain in “good standing” in the program. This requires that students maintain the GPA guidelines of the program and make satisfactory progress toward completing the requirements of the program.

Benefits include:

1. The ability to take up to 21 credits in a semester without additional fees.
2. Eligibility for priority registration. Priority registration normally takes place for two days prior to the beginning of senior registration.
3. 24/7 access to the Kathwari Honors House that includes a large conference room/study area, full functioning kitchen, and lounge.
4. Application of many courses in the Kathwari Honors Program to fulfill General Education competency requirements. 
5. Use of Kathwari Honors Program funds for travel to study abroad, present at conferences, volunteer and much more. 
6. Optional participation in an Honors Teaching Practicum (HTP) during the junior or senior year. This option allows Honors students to serve as teaching assistants in a course they have taken. The student receives 3 credit hours for an HTP. Members may also participate in an Honors Research Practicum (HRP) during their junior or senior years.  This option allows honors students to serve as research assistants to a professor.  The student will receive 3 credit hours for an HRP.
7. Access to Honors-only programs, events, trips, and learning experiences with alumni, professors, local and regional leaders, and inter/national figures.
8. Entitlement, upon graduating from the program and the university, to wear special cords during Commencement and to receive special recognition in the Honors Graduation program. A certificate indicating program completion is mailed in the summer after graduation.

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How challenging are honors courses?

One of the questions often asked by students applying to the honors program is how much harder are honors courses compared with regular university courses? While honors courses are demanding, their intent is not to simply pile on extra work. Becoming a critical thinker, one of the desired outcomes of being a member of our honors program, is not like lifting weights. The goal is not to increase the amount of pounds pressed (or books read) in order to increase your “intellectual bulk.” In fact, the actual workload in most honors courses is not significantly greater than that found in other courses of the same level. What is different, however, are the types of materials assigned, the quality of class discussions and the faculty expectations about your ability to do independent work. Honors courses are not so much about piling on extra work as about getting intellectually motivated students into one place and letting them engage in the materials and learn from one another. Honors courses are also about allowing students the freedom to pursue areas of interest in their own way utilizing an assortment of methodologies and approaches. Honors courses are built on the fundamental assumption that knowledge is a process to be engaged in rather than a static thing to be absorbed. In other words, knowledge is not a closed set of things to be memorized but a set of open questions to be explored. If this sounds like the type of approach that you are looking for then the honors program may be right for you.

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What is an enhanced course and how do I enhance a course?

The Honors Program enables students and faculty to develop individual Honors-level components when necessary. Due to special circumstances such as scheduling limitations, completing a double major, or unavailability of desired courses, students may propose an Enhancement to any normal university course in order to receive Honors credit for it. The Enhancement will add some additional Honors-level dimension to the usual course requirements, and the student will receive one additional credit hour for the successful completion of an enhanced course. The student is expected to initiate the honors Enhancement and complete the application process outlined below.  Course Enhancement Forms

Eligible students

All students majoring in nursing or education and in good standing in the Kathwari Honors Program are eligible. All other students must ask permission from the program director or assistant director before beginning the enhancement process. Also, any student with a GPA of 3.2 or higher at the time of application is eligible.

Eligible faculty

All faculty members are eligible to participate. Consideration in the form of a partial credit hour is associated with enhancement in the same amount as a student developed study (one semester hour for the student =.11 load credit for faculty). Part-time faculty must submit a revised contract to receive the additional credit.

Considerations of time

Course enhancements are generally formed during the semester in which the course is being taken. Students are advised that the process should be completed within the first few weeks of the semester.

Honors course enhancement application and approval

An enhancement is established through a contract between the student and faculty member and the completion of the appropriate forms. The completed application contains (1) the cover page, (2) the enhancement contract, and (3) the request for faculty workload credit. When all these forms are completed and signed by faculty, the student then submits the forms to the Honors Program Director to be signed and then to the appropriate Dean. The Dean’s office should send copies to the Honors Director, the Registrar, and the student.

Details of application & approval elements

1. Cover page: The cover page is attached (“Project Approval Form’). The student should fill it out and secure the required approval and signatures. Any enhancement is subject to the approval of the Director and the Dean of the school in which the course is offered.
2. Enhancement contract: On a separate page following the cover page, the student should provide a description of the honors component (using the following titles).• Personal Statement:  The student should set forth the goals of this honors component, specifically discuss the reasons for undertaking the project and how the honors component enhances the course to honors level   (Examples: adding to the syllabus, making a course interdisciplinary, creating a multi-cultural element to a course, including a dimension of public service, etc.).• Enhancement:  List or describe in some detail the particular element(s) of the honors component. Include whatever activities are supplemental or alternative to the regular requirements of the course. (Examples: extra or alternative written work, projects, presentations, meetings with outside mentors, etc.)• Evaluation Process: How the honors component is graded should be specified. However the honors component is graded, only one grade is ultimately given for the course. (Examples:   the student is graded on all work, including the honors component, a separate grade is given for the enhancement which is then averaged in with the grading for the regular requirements of the course, etc.).• Scheduling: A schedule of meetings of the faculty member or other people and the student and deadlines or due dates if appropriate, should be included. The honors component must be completed by the end of the regular course. (Examples: weekly meetings, interviews with outside mentors, attendance at events on or off campus, etc. If added or alternative work is assigned, when that work is due.)
3. Request for faculty workload credit: Submitted to the Dean of the school in which the course is offered.

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Does the program offer scholarships?

The Admissions Office awards merit-based scholarships at WCSU to incoming first-year students who meet the application deadline. The initial screening usually begins in January with awards being offered in late January and February.  There is no special application required for these awards beyond the university admission application.

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How do I apply?

High Schools seniors or transfer students may use the application found on this website.  Those who are offered and accept a university merit-based award are automatically members of the program if they wish.  Students already enrolled at the university may either apply directly to the program using the application or be nominated by a faculty member.  Nominations are, however, not a guarantee of acceptance.

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Who do I contact regarding the Kathwari Honors Program?

Director:

Dr. Brian Clements
Kathwari Honors House 102F
Western Connecticut State University
(203) 837 – 9501
clementsb@wcsu.edu

Assistant Director:
Caitlin Kennedy
Kathwari Honors House 102D
Western Connecticut State University
(203) 837-9502
kennedyc@wcsu.edu

Honors Assistants:

Honors Assistant
Kathwari Honors House 102E
Western Connecticut State University
(203) 837-3226
honors@wcsu.edu

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