The University of New Haven is committed to being a leader in experiential education with strong academic programs and students that strive for academic excellence. This commitment to academic and experiential excellence can be seen in many offices, departments and programs throughout the university. The Honors Program is one program in particular that offers the best and brightest at UNH a unique blend of academic, professional and social opportunities that will ultimately enhance the college experience.
Dr. Matt Wranovix, the director of the program, describes it like this: “The Honors Program is for students who are not only talented, but also intellectually curious. Honors students are willing to challenge themselves in harder courses, take on independent research projects, and explore new ideas.”
There are two opportunities to enter the Honors Program: before matriculating as a first-year student or between the first and second years of a student’s degree program. Regardless of how one enters the program, every honors student is provided with a multitude of opportunities, resources and services.
Honors students receive priority registration and can register for a variety of honors courses. These courses form the heart of the honors program and fall primarily into two types. The first type of honors course includes special honors sections of many regular courses, such as Introduction to Criminal Justice (CJ 100), Ethics (PL 222) and General Chemistry I & II (CH 115 and CH 116).
The other type of honors course includes interdisciplinary, team-taught courses that draw and benefit from the faculty and resources of two different departments on campus. One recent example of this is the fall 2012 honors course Twilight of the Gods: The Music & Lyrics of the Beatles, taught by Wes Davis in the English Department and Dr. Guillermo Mager in the Music Department.
Students in this class not only studied the history, style and influence of the Beatles, but also organized a Beatles event for the campus community that took place in December. Another example of a team-taught honors course is Book Design and Production, taught by Dr. Todd Jokl in the Graphic Design Department and Dr. Randall Horton in the English Department, where students had the opportunity to apply what they learned in class to market The New Sound: A Journal of Interdisciplinary Art & Literature produced by UNH.
For the spring 2013 semester, a variety of honors courses will continue to be offered, which will include honors sections of General Chemistry II (CH 116) and Global Solutions for Sustainability (EAS 300), as well as interdisciplinary honors courses that include Criminal Investigation, Forensic Science & Society; Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity & the Movies; Food & The Movies and The Politics of Music.
At the same time, the courses offered by the Honors Program are far from its only component. Arrays of events are coordinated by staff and students in the program to include trips, lectures and films. One popular program done every semester is a trip to the New Haven Symphony Orchestra, which honors students are able to attend free of charge thanks to a generous donor.
Other trips have taken students to Shakespeare plays in Edgerton Park as well as Windhorse International Farm. Honors events on campus have in the past included ice cream socials, guest speakers, game nights and a variety of films. Many of the events are organized by Dr. Wranovix and Honors Program Coordinator Lynne Resnick, as well as the Honor Student Council (HSC), a Recognized Student Organization (RSO) that provides further opportunities for honors students to interact and socialize. Although geared towards honors students, all undergraduates are welcome to join.
Elizabeth Field, an honors student who also serves as the Editor-in-Chief of the Honors Newsletters, adds that “The Honors Newsletter has been a wonderful outlet to showcase the outstanding work of my peers in the Honors Program. There are so many students that have held interesting internships like at the Yale Morgue or the Connecticut Capitol. It’s been great to be able to work on this publication and help get the word out about UNH’s inspiring students.”
Lastly, membership in the Honors Program carries with it both a set of requirements as well as a greater set of rewards. Students in the program must maintain a 3.3 GPA, take at least four honors courses within their four years at UNH, and complete an honors thesis in their senior year. The honors thesis takes many forms, but is generally a significant scholarly work that is related to the student’s major.
One of the most important benefits of the program comes in the form of financial aid, as each honors student receives a $1,000 scholarship each year they maintain active standing in the program. In addition, the John D. Hatfield Award, named after a former UNH provost, is awarded each year to three rising honors juniors as well as three rising honors seniors, and consists of an additional $2,000 scholarship.
For incoming freshmen, another benefit of being accepted into the Honors Program is the opportunity to live in the Honors Living-Learning Community (LLC). Students who complete all of the requirements of the Honors Program will, upon graduation, have the achievement noted at commencement as well as on their transcript so that employers and graduate schools will be aware of the accomplishment.
When asked about her overall experience in the Honors Program, freshmen honors student Patricia Oprea had the following to say: “When I found out about this program, the scholarship was what hooked me in, I had no idea that there would be so many other benefits. The honors classes are taught by two professors from different departments, and so they are very engaging and make you think differently than a normal course would. I took Western Civilizations last semester which incorporated not only facts about ancient history, but the architectural aspect as well, so it was a lesson in art too. Every month the honors program invites guest speakers to come to the university, last semester I went to a poetry workshop which was phenomenal. I also live in the Honors LLC, which are the yellow houses on Campbell Avenue. This is great because I got to grow close to people that are not of the same major as I am, and still have all the perks of a close-knit LLC community. Last semester I was in a designated FE for honors program students taught by Christie Boronico and Isaak Kifle, and even if I wasn’t automatically placed into it, I would pick it time and time again. The course really taught me the ins and outs of UNH and how to get the most out of your four years here in terms of Experiential Education. The Honors Program is one of the best opportunities to take advantage of at UNH!”
Elizabeth Field adds “I joined the Honors Program as a sophomore and enrolled on a whim, not expecting much, but was genuinely surprised at how many opportunities existed on campus for trips, intellectual and spiritual nourishment, and classes that are exclusive to honors students.”
Lynne Resnick had this to: say “We highly recommend that you to check out the Honors Program website which includes wealth of information about our program and an updated calendar of many co-curricular events planned for our motivated students. In addition to the distinctive honors courses offered, we strongly encourage our students to take full advantage of all the opportunities available beyond the classroom. We continually seek out inspiring and informational guest speakers, as well as new adventures such as working with Habitat for Humanity on an upcoming housing project in New Haven, Conn. If you are an incoming or a first year student thinking about joining the Honors Program, please come and visit with me. I am eager to meet with you!”
Lastly, Dr. Wranovix concludes with: “Are you the kind of student who wants to learn how a Twitter feed became a book, experience how a Buddhist lama runs a horse farm, or see an outdoor production of Shakespeare? Then the Honors Program might be for you.”
