The Honors Program

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE #1

Develop the reputation and reality of the Honors Program as a leading provider of outstanding undergraduate education in Georgia, the Southeast, and the United States

RATIONALE

The Honors Program can drive UGA's reputation as a leading provider of outstanding undergraduate education in Georgia, the Southeast, and the United States. We have an opportunity to develop the Honors Program as an excellent small college within a research university setting; the demographics, demand for high-quality undergraduate education, and absence of a major competitor in Georgia all make this a strategic opportunity.

IMPLEMENTATION

• Maintain the Honors Program at about 10 percent of the undergraduate student body
• Provide freshman and sophomore Honors students with a minimum of two regular (three-hour) Honors courses per semester; meet student needs in terms of the disciplinary scope and variety of Honors courses offered; limit Honors class size to 20 students, (15 for language and literature courses); have Honors courses taught by Honors-approved faculty; create more interdisciplinary Honors courses and Honors-only courses; and make Honors courses more intellectually challenging than non-Honors equivalents
• Develop a core of Honors faculty who teach in the Honors Program, serve on the Honors Faculty Council, provide extramural educational opportunities, and serve as mentors. Develop a culture in which Honors faculty status is a privilege and honor
• Expand and institutionalize campus-wide research opportunities for Honors students through the Center for Undergraduate Research Opportunities (CURO)
• Expand student and faculty participation in the Academic Scholarship Identification Program, and in national scholarship competitions, such as Rhodes and Marshall
• Develop a Washington, D.C. Honors summer internship program
• Provide recognition and scholarship awards for outstanding academic achievement
• Create greater access to leadership development opportunities for Honors students in cooperation with Student Affairs leadership programs
• Develop educational and social programming in the Honors magnet residential halls
• Develop Moore College as a symbol of Honors excellence and an intellectual home
• Transform the Honors Program into an Honors College

BUDGETARY IMPLICATIONS

• Teaching: Short-term (1-2 years) demand for additional Honors courses can be met at a cost of approximately $300,000 p.a. Source: Instructional budget and private resources (funds amended annually by Honors Program to academic departments based upon course demand).
• Center for Undergraduate Research Opportunities (CURO): $50,000 p.a. for administrative support staff and operating budget (including funding for annual symposium). Source: 60 percent UGA budget; 20 percent federal and private grants; 20 percent private corporate support
• Academic Scholarship Identification Program (ASIP): $20,000 p.a. ($500 x 40 ASIP seminars). Source: Honors Program Service Fund (annual private support)
• Government and business summer internships: $20,000 p.a. for scholarships. Source: Private major and corporate support
• Recognition and scholarship awards: Approx. $20,000 p.a. for $1,000 scholarship awards for top freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors in the arts, humanities, physical sciences, life sciences, and social sciences. Source: Honors Program Service Fund (annual private support)
• Leadership development: $10,000 p.a. Source: Student fees via OVPSA
• Moore College: Approx. $200,000 furnishings and equipment. Source: FY01 year-end budget and/or private support. Nb: There are several attractive naming opportunities in Moore College amounting to $2,150,000.
• Total: $420,000 p.a. + $200,000 one-time expense

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE #2

Provide the necessary educational and financial resources to allow 30 percent of Honors students travel and study abroad during their undergraduate curriculum by 2010; students might participate in formal study abroad programs, exchange programs, international internships, or travel-study programs which they design themselves

RATIONALE

The 21st century is being called the "Global Century" in which opportunities to travel, study, work, and live overseas will be abundant. We have a responsibility to prepare our students to take advantage of and even create such opportunities. The University's goal is for 10 percent of graduating seniors to have studied abroad by 2002, and 25 percent to have had a "substantive international experience" by 2010. The Honors Program has a special responsibility to be in the vanguard of this movement by striving for 30 percent of graduating Honors seniors to have traveled and studied abroad by 2010.

IMPLEMENTATION

• Invite UGA faculty to present information about the study abroad and exchange programs
• Organize lectures, seminars, and other presentations on international topics to stimulate interest in study abroad
• Take advantage of Honors alumni working and living overseas to create new international opportunities
• Provide scholarship support to the most deserving students through a competitive selection process

BUDGETARY IMPLICATIONS

• Scholarships: 100 x $2,500 scholarships = $250,000 p.a. Source: Private support
• Other costs negligible
• Total: $250,000 p.a.

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE #3

Increase geographic and racial diversity in the Honors Program and Foundation Fellows Program

RATIONALE

Research shows that Georgia's superior students want to learn in an environment of diverse backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives; national and state demographic trends increase the importance of a geographically and racially diverse educational environment.

IMPLEMENTATION

• Develop a national recruitment strategy in close coordination with the Admissions Office. While our recruitment focus will remain on Georgia, a national recruitment strategy should include recruitment visits to key cities in states such as Virginia, North Carolina, and Texas
• Create a new significant scholarship program (somewhere between the Foundation Fellowship and the Charter Scholarship) which we would offer to all 60-70 students invited to the Foundation Fellows interview weekend. This should include Regents tuition waivers for out-of-state students
• Create an Honors Academy to bring the top minority high school sophomores and juniors to campus
• Develop a network of minority opinion leaders to help identify and recruit potential minority Honors Program students

BUDGETARY IMPLICATIONS

• National recruitment: $30,000 p.a. for full-time recruiter (working in coordination with Admissions Office). Source: UGA
• New scholarship program: $364,000 p.a. Source: Redirection of Foundation Fellows funds (accomplished in FY00)
• Honors Academy: $30,000 p.a. (150 high school students x $200 for travel, room and board, and dinner-seminars). Source: Some combination of UGA and private support
• Total: $424,000 p.a. ($60,000 p.a. in new funds)

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE #4

Increase alumni connections to the Honors Program

RATIONALE

Alumni involvement leads to greater levels of loyalty, service, and support for the Honors Program

IMPLEMENTATION

• Create an Honors Program Alumni Advisory Council
• Contact alumni with a "From the Director" letter at the end of fall and spring semesters
• Organize annual Honors alumni fall reception
• Invite key alumni to year-end banquet
• Utilize the Honors web site to reach alumni
• Organize annual Honors event (perhaps a lecture and cocktail reception) at the UGA Alumni Club of Atlanta to cultivate Atlanta-based alumni support
• Actively engage more alumni in the Honors Program by developing volunteer opportunities as mentors, recruiters, etc.

BUDGETARY IMPLICATIONS

• Fall Reception: $5,000 p.a. (250 alumni x $20). Source: Honors Program Service Fund (annual private support)
• Web site: $3,000 p.a. Source: UGA
• Atlanta Honors Event: $10,000 p.a. Source: Honors Program Service Fund (annual private support)
• Other costs negligible
• Total: $18,000 p.a.

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE #5

Increase private financial support for Honors priorities identified through the strategic planning process

RATIONALE

Significant increases in external support and the establishment of significant endowments are essential to fund those Honors priorities which represent stepping stones to our overarching goal of increased national prominence.

IMPLEMENTATION

• Include the Honors Program as a distinct component of the next institutional capital campaign
• Continue to inform central Development staff about the Honors and Foundation Fellows Programs and private funding objectives
• Schedule 20-30 cultivation/solicitation visits per year for Honors Program personnel
• Develop a systematic stewardship program for each donor level

BUDGETARY IMPLICATIONS

• Cost of development/fund raising: Negligible

Updated 10/31/2000