Higher Education Commons^™

Developing Peer Mentors As Co-Educators For The Honors First-Year Seminar, Kimberly Baldus, Gerianne Friedline, Ann Torrusio

National Collegiate Honors Council Monographs: Chapters

Our decision at the University of Missouri–St. Louis (UMSL) to develop a peer mentor program in the Pierre Laclede Honors College (PLHC) First-year seminar (FYS) began in a spring 2014 campuswide FYS committee meeting. Having previously developed three essential cornerstones that all variations of the FYS on campus would need to include—campus connections, academic engagement, and development support—university leaders decided that best practices in FYS courses demanded the inclusion of peer mentors in all versions of the course. As honors faculty, we had frankly never contemplated this addition to our fully developed and successful academic FYS program. In fact, without …

University Of Mary Washington: Program Profile, Kelli M. Slunt, Mara N. Scanlon

National Collegiate Honors Council Monographs: Chapters

Located in Fredericksburg, Virginia, situated between the nation’s capital and the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, the University of Mary Washington (UMW) is a public, co-educational, and predominately four-year liberal arts and sciences institution. The university is committed to the shared values in our ASPIRE principles: accountability, scholarship, personal and institutional integrity, respect and civility, and engagement. Founded in 1908, UMW has evolved from a normal and industrial school for women to a university that offers 48 majors, 44 minors, and 3 graduate programs. In fall 2023, UMW enrolled 3,611 undergraduates and 197 graduate students. Fifty-five percent of the …

Rutgers University–Camden: Program Profile, Lee Ann Elliott Westman

National Collegiate Honors Council Monographs: Chapters

Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, was founded in 1766 and is the eighth-oldest university in the nation. Rutgers has three regional campuses: Rutgers–Camden, Rutgers–Newark, and Rutgers–New Brunswick. The Camden campus was founded in 1926 as the South Jersey Law School and College of South Jersey; it merged with Rutgers University in 1950. Academic offerings at Rutgers–Camden include 38 undergraduate majors and 29 graduate programs. An R2 research facility, Rutgers–Camden had 6,075 undergraduate and graduate students in the spring 2024 semester. Rutgers–Camden is designated as a Minority Serving Institution, with more than 50% of the student population identifying as …

East Carolina University: Program Profile, Todd Fraley

National Collegiate Honors Council Monographs: Chapters

The mission of East Carolina University (ECU), which is located in Greenville, North Carolina, is to be a national model for student success, public service, and regional transformation. As of fall 2023, ECU serves over 26,000 students and offers 85 bachelor’s degree programs, 68 master’s programs, 13 doctoral degree programs, and various other certificate and advanced programs. Current enrollment includes nearly 20,000 full-time students (17,104 undergraduates, 2,700 graduate students, 591 in the School of Medicine, and 207 in the School of Dental Medicine). Almost 90% of these students are from North Carolina, with the remaining students coming to ECU from …

Colorado School Of Mines: Program Profile, Lauren Schumaker, Carrie J. Mcclelland, Toni Lefton, Sarah Jayne Hitt

National Collegiate Honors Council Monographs: Chapters

The Colorado School of Mines (Mines) was founded in Golden, Colorado, in 1874, two years before Colorado became a state. Mines is a public four-year university specializing in applied science and engineering, offering 21 undergraduate and nearly 40 graduate degrees. In addition to strong education and research programs in traditional fields of science and engineering, Mines is one of the few institutions in the world with broad expertise in resource exploration, extraction, production, and utilization. A total student body of about 7,600 (5,800 undergraduates, 1,800 graduate students) allows for an average student-faculty ratio of 17:1. About 56% of Mines undergraduates …

University Of Maryland, College Park: Program Profile, Christine A. Jones

National Collegiate Honors Council Monographs: Chapters

The University of Maryland, College Park (UMD) is the state’s flagship university and one of the nation’s preeminent public research universities. A global leader in research, entrepreneurship, and innovation, UMD is home to 14,000 faculty members and staff and has nearly 400,000 alums. In 2023, UMD enrolled more than 30,000 undergraduates (76.3% are Maryland residents, and 20.0% are first generation) and almost 11,000 graduate students (35.5% are international). The racial/ethnic makeup included 39.5% White, 23.8% Asian, 12.9% Black or African American, 10.6% Hispanic/Latino, and 4.9% Two or More Races. The gender makeup included 49.2% female, 50.7% male, and a number …

Elon University: Program Profile, Steve Bednar

National Collegiate Honors Council Monographs: Chapters

Located in Elon, North Carolina, Elon University was founded in 1889. It currently offers 76 undergraduate majors within the College of Arts and Sciences, the Martha and Spencer Love School of Business, the School of Communications, the Dr. Jo Watts Williams School of Education, and the School of Health Science, as well as 10 graduate degrees from the main campus and the School of Law. Elon University had 6,202 undergraduate and 655 graduate students enrolled in spring 2024. Fifty-nine percent of undergraduate students are female, and 25% are North Carolina residents. The university has an 11:1 student-faculty ratio.

Elmhurst University: Program Profile, Mary Kay Mulvaney

National Collegiate Honors Council Monographs: Chapters

Elmhurst University is a four-year regional institution of higher education in the Chicago area that blends a liberal arts education and professional preparation. Founded in 1871, Elmhurst offers more than seventy undergraduate programs of study, more than twenty graduate and certificate programs in flexible formats, and the Elmhurst Learning and Success Academy for young adults with differing abilities. Elmhurst University enrolls approximately 3,600 students, most of whom are in undergraduate programs. A minority-majority institution, Elmhurst achieved Hispanic-Serving Institution status in 2022. The student body is approximately 60% female, and roughly half of its students are first-generation college students. Approximately 60% …

Eastern Kentucky University: Program Profile, David Coleman

National Collegiate Honors Council Monographs: Chapters

Eastern Kentucky University (EKU) is a public comprehensive university in Richmond, Kentucky, with around 15,000 (primarily residential) students. The university offers 80 undergraduate majors, 36 master’s degrees, and four doctoral programs. Approximately 40 percent of undergraduates are first-generation students. EKU traditionally draws many students from its 22-county service region across southeastern Kentucky, but the university also recruits heavily in the larger metro areas of the region.

Honoring The First-Year Seminar: Exploring High-Impact Learning Experiences For The First Year In Honors: Front- And Backmatter, Anton Vander Zee, Trisha H. Folds-Bennett

National Collegiate Honors Council Monographs: Chapters

Front-and backmatter from Honoring the First-year Seminar: Exploring High-impact Learning Experiences for the First Year in Honors (Lincoln, Nebraska: National Collegiate Honors Council, 2025).

Honoring The First-Year Seminar: Exploring High-Impact Learning Experiences For The First Year In Honors: About The Authors

National Collegiate Honors Council Monographs: Chapters

Honoring the First-year Seminar: Exploring High-impact Learning Experiences for the First Year in Honors: About the Authors

Bringing The Idea Of Ideas To Life, Christopher J. Syrnyk

National Collegiate Honors Council Monographs: Chapters

Discusses the development of the First-year Seminar and Honors Program at Oregon Institute of Technology (Oregon Tech).

2025-2026 Graduate Msn-Fnp Handbook, Morehead State University. Nursing Department.

Nursing Department Publications Archive

2025-2026 Graduate Student Handbook for the Department of Nursing at Morehead State University.

Women's And Men's Authorship Experiences: A Prospective Meta Analysis, George C. Banks, Lisa M. Rasmussen, Scott Tonidandel, Jeffrey M. Pollack, Mary M. Hausfeld, Courtney Williams, Betsy H. Albritton, Joseph A. Allen, Nicolas Bastardoz, John H. Batchelor, Andrew A. Bennett, Roman Briker, Christopher M. Castille, Bart A. De Jong, Elise Demeter, Justin A. Desimone, James G. Field, Maria Figueroa-Armijos, M. Fernanda Garcia, William L. Gardner, J. Jeffrey Gish, Laura M. Giurge, Claudia N. Gonzalez-Brambila, M. Gloria González-Morales, Lorenz Graf-Vlachy, Roopak Kumar Gupta, Amanda S. Hinojosa, Zion Howard, Sven Kepes, Tine Köhler, Dejun Tony Kong, Markus Langer, Teng Lat Loi, Liam P. Maher, Chao Miao, Murad A. Mithani, Lakshmi Balachandran Nair, William G. Obenauer, Ernest H. O'Boyle, Jason R. Pierce, Deborah M. Powell, Roni Reiter-Palmon, Deborah E. Rupp, Srinivasan Tatachari, Jane S. Thomas, Tiia Vissak, Jako Volschenk, Chen Wang, Christopher E. Whelpley, Hans-Georg Wolff, Haley M. Woznyj, Tao Yang

Management Faculty Publications

The opaqueness of author naming and ordering, when coupled with power dynamics, can lead to a number of disadvantages in academic careers. In this commentary, we investigate gender differences in authorship experiences in a large prospective meta-analytic study (k = 46; n = 3,565; 12 countries). We find that women’s and men’s authorship experiences differ significantly with women reporting greater prevalence of problematic behaviors. We present seven actionable recommendations for improving the receipt and reporting of intellectual credit. Such actions are needed to ensure fairness in authorship, which is one of the most powerful factors in academics’ career outcomes.

Honors Capstones And Self-Authorship: A Case Study, Chelsea Mckeirnan

Honors in Practice Online Archive

While self-authorship theory posits that students who actively define and articulate their values and goals are better positioned for post-collegiate success, little has been done to examine curricular opportunities for self-authorship in the context of honors education. This case study explores the potential for self-authorship development within an honors capstone preparation course at a southwestern regional university. Author observes that such a course provides students with opportunities for self-authorship development and self-efficacy by offering provocative moments and granting autonomy for decision-making. Results suggest that the design and structure of honors capstones can support the growth and development of honors students …

Envisioning Honors As Complex Problem Solving, Pat Akos, Nathan Hicks

Honors in Practice Online Archive

Honors education can maximize student well-being and career-life readiness by integrating a range of wicked problems and design thinking. This approach fosters interdisciplinary learning, critical thinking, and the development of innovative problem solvers. The authors introduce student choice and design thinking throughout the first three courses of an honors interdisciplinary minor at a large, public R1 university and consider its pedagogical implications.

Campus Legends And Mysteries: Building Institutional Identity Through Campus Lore, Viktoria Basham

Honors in Practice Online Archive

This essay presents an honors course designed to help students develop a holistic understanding of institutional history and identity while engaging with university culture. Author describes how students conduct research on the history, traditions, and local lore of both their home institution and broader geographic region by using a variety of campus resources and archival collections. Strong and personal bonds with the university are the touchstone for creating projects (n = 17) that contribute to campus lore, thereby extending student narratives to add to, enrich, and preserve an evolving institutional identity. Author suggests that course offerings such as this can …

Applications Of Systems Thinking In Honors Education: The Justice Challenge, Rebecca C. Bott, Jonathan D. Kotinek, Timothy J. Nichols, Heidi Appel, Andrea Radasanu, Joy L. Hart

Honors in Practice Online Archive

Honors education has long been praised for its potential as a test bed for curricular innovation. A wide variety of high-impact practices have been employed to prepare honors students to think critically and tackle complex problems. Examination of the use of systems thinking within pedagogical practices in honors education is, however, nearly nonexistent in the literature. The authors present a brief introduction to systems thinking; review its use within honors curricula; and examine how a nationwide collaborative of honors educators equips students with systems thinking tools to learn about and engage with complex interdisciplinary problems. The authors characterize systems thinking …

Honors Thesis Proposal Course Components, Lynn Stallings, Anete Vásquez

Honors in Practice Online Archive

Completion of an undergraduate thesis can be a transformational experience for honors students because they learn that they can contribute original intellectual thought to the record of scholarly knowledge. This essay considers how the misconceptions and challenges of an honors thesis can discourage students from undertaking the task. Authors describe the design, delivery, sequencing, resources, and administration of a junior-level thesis proposal course aimed at abating student anxiety over and supporting faculty engagement of thesis work. The Hopscotch Model, a tool to help novice researchers thoroughly design qualitative research studies while learning the philosophical underpinnings of a particular form of …

Development Of An Honors Leadership Academy Experience, Samantha Gregus, Chelsea Redger-Marquardt, Bobby Berry, Doug Stucky, Cindi Mason, Kimberly Engber

Honors in Practice Online Archive

This essay presents a leadership academy in honors, an interdisciplinary offering co-taught by a team of five faculty combining in-course curriculum with travel-based experiential learning. Authors describe the academy’s inception, development, and curricular objectives and outcomes, as well as the experiences of four student cohorts (2021–2024). Focusing on interdisciplinary approaches to community-based problem solving, students (n ≈ 8–14) learn the Social Change Model of Leadership Development framework; engage in self-reflective exercises relating to leadership values and attitudes; partner with a local nonprofit organization; use design thinking methodology to solve a specific organizational challenge; and collaboratively work in teams to …

Building Place-Based Experiential Learning Into The Honors Curriculum At Ohio University, Geoffrey L. Buckley, Nicole Finnicum, Michelle O'Malley, Jennifer Bowie, Yolonda Youngs

Honors in Practice Online Archive

Observing the demand for interdisciplinary experiential learning opportunities post-COVID, authors present a place-based curriculum in honors. Workshop-style special topics classes provide students with an immersive and flexible learning environment, energize faculty, and engage alumni and community partners. Coursework, fieldwork, internships, and study abroad opportunities all contribute to the development of an informed and engaged citizenry. Authors address challenges in funding, access, and equity, and they suggest ways these challenges might be met.

Ally With Ai: An Icebreaker To Unlock Career Aspirations For Online Or Hybrid Organizational Behavior Cohorts, Jyro B. Triviño

Leadership and Strategy Faculty Publications

Modern organizational behavior classroom, which are increasing in size, diversity, and complexity, are shifting to online and hybrid learning environments, challenging the use of traditional icebreaker activities. This paper introduces a 15-minute icebreaker designed to address these issues while integrating the principles of Kolb's experiential learning theory and fostering social capital through peerr engagement in an online setting. By leveraging the availability of generative AI, students prompt a template code to unlock their career aspirations and stimulate social connections among their classmates. This provides an innovative teaching model for meeting the foundational icebreaker goal while serving a suitable tool for …

2024 Presidential Address, Eddie Weller

Honors in Practice Online Archive

The NCHC President recounts his history with the organization and challenges members to act with the values of justice, mercy, and humility. Organizational compassion, mutuality, and collaborative service are acknowledged and encouraged.

Includes a revised version of the 2024 National Collegiate Honors Council presidential address delivered on November 1, 2024 in Kansas City, Missouri.

Honors In Practice, Volume 21, 2025, Emily Allen

Honors in Practice Online Archive

CONTENTS

Editorial Policy, Deadline, and Submission Guidelines

Editor’s Introduction, Emily Allen

2024 NCHC CONFERENCE REMARKS 2024

Presidential Address, Eddie Weller

2024 Founders Award Remarks Elizabeth Cole Beck, John Zubizarreta

RESEARCH ESSAYS

Read Yourself In: Enhancing First-Year Student Belonging through Place as Text Pedagogy, John Andrews

Campus Legends and Mysteries: Building Institutional Identity through Campus Lore, Viktoria Basham

Building Place-based Experiential Learning into the Honors Curriculum at Ohio University, Geoffrey L. Buckley, Nicole Finnicum, Michelle O’Malley, Jennifer Bowie, and Yolonda Youngs

Why the Museum Matters to Honors, Mimi Killinger How to Create a Self-Sustaining Meditation Garden, Heather Salazar, Lydia Barrett-Miller, and …

2024 Founders Award Remarks, Elizabeth Cole Beck

Honors in Practice Online Archive

NCHC Founders Award recipient describes a three-decade career in honors education, highlights the immeasurable potential of honors programs for shaping student lives, and argues for the importance of conference attendance to honors educators.

Incudes

a revised version of remarks delivered at the 2024 National Collegiate Honors Council awards ceremony on November 1, 2024 in Kansas City, Missouri.

2024 Founders Award Remarks, John Zubizarreta

Honors in Practice Online Archive

The NCHC Founders Award recipient emphasizes the transformative power of honors education and the importance of community.

Includes a revised version of remarks delivered at the 2024 National Collegiate Honors Council awards ceremony on November 1, 2024 in Kansas City, Missouri.

How To Create A Self-Sustaining Meditation Garden, Heather Salazar, Lydia Barrett-Miller, Kaitlyn Parisan

Honors in Practice Online Archive

This essay presents the creation and maintenance of a campus meditation garden as an outgrowth of four successive philosophy classes in honors. The authors describe the garden’s inception, execution, curricular advantages, and administration, with specific examples of the impact on student health and well-being. The authors observe the ways in which honors students attained skills in transformational leadership by collaborating to develop projects and lead events, suggesting that a meditation garden may be appropriate for any learning environment emphasizing cooperation, creativity, mindfulness, and well-being.

Honors In Practice, Volume 21, 2025: About The Authors, National Collegiate Honors Council

Honors in Practice Online Archive

About the authors, Honors in Practice, volume 21 (2025).

Deceptive Recruitment Practices By Admissions, Francis Dugbartey

Graduate Student Work

This paper investigates the pervasive issue of deceptive recruitment practices employed by higher education institutions, with a particular focus on for-profit colleges. It explores how misleading advertising regarding job placement rates, tuition costs, financial aid, and institutional accreditation misguides prospective students, leading to financial hardship, unmet academic expectations, and erosion of trust in the higher education system. Through historical cases including Corinthian Colleges, the University of Phoenix, and Temple University’s Fox School of Business this study highlights the legal and ethical implications of such misconduct. It evaluates the regulatory responses by the U.S. Department of Education and the Federal Trade …

Gatekeeping As An Online Adjunct Clinical Instructor In Counselor Education, Bernadet Dejonge, Deborah J. Rubel, Yun Shi

Counselor Education Faculty Publications and Presentations

This interpretative phenomenological analysis study examined how adjunct instructors teaching online clinical counseling courses experienced gatekeeping in the context of the university system. The research question was: How do online, adjunct instructors teaching master’s level clinical counseling courses experience their university interactions as a part of gatekeeping? The participants described five experiential themes. These were: a) Balancing marginalization in the system with advocacy for the profession; b) Maneuvering through dependency on the system in gatekeeping; c) Finding consultation while navigating gatekeeping interactions; d) Managing the intensity of clinical courses; and e) Navigating the steep learning curve of learning how to …