The Bennett College Board of Trustees put its stamp of approval on the transition of the Honors Program at Bennett College to an Honors College, a move that college officials believe will increase the institution’s ability to recruit and retain high-ability students.
College officials also believe the Honors College will highlight the importance the institution places on offering an enriched honors curriculum. Last week, Bennett College President Rosalind Fuse-Hall announced the new designation during the College’s annual Honors Convocation.
“We are proud of all of the work that was done by all who saw the value of making an Honors College possible here,” she said. “Through this college, we are committed to providing our scholars with challenging academic experiences. We also believe that this will be a prime source for the development of a pool of students that will enter graduate and professional schools. We are proud to have this new college.”
To prepare for the transition of the Honors Program, Bennett College strengthened its curriculum to exceed the basic characteristics for establishing an Honors Program, and also met the characteristics of honors colleges as recommended by the National Collegiate Honors Council, the recognized leader in undergraduate honors education.
“Having an Honors College at Bennett College is a hallmark toward academic excellence,” said Audrey Ward, associate provost of academic support services and director of the Honors College. “It opens doors for the advancement of student scholars who seek courses with academic rigor to hone their intellectual and leadership skills and compete for prestigious scholarships such as the Rhodes Scholarship, the Marshall Scholarship, the Benjamin A. Gilman Scholarship and more.”
The Honors College also places Bennett College on the frontier for getting more competitive grants and scholarship programs which in turn will have a positive implication on student retention and graduate and professional school pursuits.”
The College developed 20 core courses and 25 honors leadership courses for the new College. The Bennett Honors College currently encompasses the Global Scholars Program, the Honda All Star Competition and serves as an overarching administrative structure to house and support all aspects of the honors curriculum.
The program also provides for enhancing undergraduate research in all disciplines and as a clearinghouse for prestigious fellowships and scholarships.
According to Ward, Bennett’s recent past presidents have each placed emphasis on strengthening the program. It was, however, under the leadership of former President Dr. Esther Terry that Academic Affairs was asked to focus on using the National Collegiate Honors Council standards for establishing the College. Dr. Joyce Blackwell, provost and vice president for Academic Affairs, laid the foundation for this Honors College.
PHOTO: President Rosalind Fuse-Hall congratulates Chanelle Gainey, an elementary education honor student.
Posted By: Reginald Culpepper
Wednesday, October 29th 2014 at 1:05PM
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