EARNING
COLLEGE CREDIT
HONORS PROGRAM TRANSITIONS TO COLLEGE Maximizing the educational experience is the reason students frequently cite as why they pursued honors classes at Ship. The rigor of each course, collaboration among classmates, and dedication of faculty lead to a profound and diverse learning environment.
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school. Now halfway through her doctoral program, she found she was just as prepared as her peers from Stanford or MIT. “We know how great honors is, but this name change will help future graduating students.”
Gaining College Status Ship’s Honors Program officially started its transition to Wood Honors College this spring. To take on college status, the program worked to fulfill thirteen characteristics established by the National Collegiate Honors Council. These characteristics address recruitment and admissions, cocurricular and residential life opportunities, graduation distinctions, alumni affairs and development, and assessment. “We’ve been operating as an honors college,” said Cody Olson ’18, honors marketing and management major. “But this will provide it with a more substantial identity.” The upgraded name might be relatively recent, but the transition from program to college has long been in the making. Klein saw the program’s promise when she took on the director’s role in 2003. “As I learned about the program, I saw its potential. We had amazing students and could do far more than we were doing.” After reviewing honors programs at other colleges, Klein developed the program with a focus on the National Collegiate Honors Council characteristics. Those standards provide best practices for honors education. During her first summer as director, she reinvigorated the honors faculty advisory board in an effort to address issues such as recruitment, coursework, research, and collaboration across disciplines. Klein said the key
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S V Kelsey Mengle ’15 credits o continue N her honors experience that effort, it with getting her into the should come University of Michigan, a as no surprise top science and engineering that the Shippensburg University Honors WOOD HONORS Program has progressed COLLEGE and evolved over the years. This past spring, the program officially elevated its status to the Wood Honors College. More than a name change, this effort will provide new opportunities to students in the program. SHIPPENSBURG UNIVERSITY WOOD HONORS COLLEGE “This change is going to bring greater visibility to the program at Ship,” said Dr. Kim Klein, director of the college. “As the Honors College grows in size, we’ll be able to (Left) Kelsey Mengle ’15 said Ship’s honors program helped her get accepted to the University of offer more classes. It will elevate our profile Michigan. (Right) Jake Gillespie ’18 and fellow honors students at Pennsylvania’s State System of and attract more students to the university.”
Make a difference!
Higher Education honors conference.
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SHIPPENSBURG UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE
