First Honors class commits

The Honors Program is set to begin this fall with a small group of students in the incoming freshman class designated to take part in the program.

"There will be 115 entering students as well as between thirteen and fifteen faculty teaching these students," said Greg Nobles, director of the Honors Program.

The program was created two years ago to open new opportunities for incoming Tech students.

"In October 2004, the Committee was formed to create the program. We got approval last November and have since been trying to recruit faculty and find students for the program," Nobles said.

The intent is not to create a new class of Tech students.

"We are not trying to separate the students from the general population. We don't want to create an isolated enclave," Nobles said.

The Honors Program students will live in Howell Hall as a co-ed dorm.

"We want to create a sense of community. The dorm offers informal meeting spaces. There are entrances for non-residents, so faculty can meet with students in the building," Nobles said.

According to Nobles, the intent is to bring campus life into Howell Hall.

"We want to make the Honors Students visible on campus. I don't want students to be isolated or act elitist on campus," Nobles said.

The Honor's classes will not be the same as normal classes on campus.

"It will be an inquiry based approach to learning, where students will be inclined to ask questions. We want to offer the group of students a different approach to learning," Nobles said.

According to Nobles, they are trying to create a common pursuit of answers.

Nobles did not create the Honors Program on his own. Several other people on campus contributed to the formation of the program.

"We had a good deal of help from admission staff," Nobles said.

There were 9,000 applicants to Tech with a subset of four to five hundred applicants for the Honors Program indicated by high school activities.

"We looked at three main areas to determine if a student was right for the program," Nobles said. "They were some level of commitment to academics, extra curricular achievements, and intellectual engagement."

Nobles and other professors the siphoned out the students they felt would not be a good fit for the program.

"Out of the ones accepted to Tech, we read their files and tried to identify students that would fit in our program," Nobles said.

Invitations were then sent out to the students who were accepted into the program as a means to open communications between the students and the faculty.

"We were really gratified by the response," Nobles said.

The program will have a mix of in-state and out of state students, male and female students, and will represent all colleges on campus.

"We want to be representative of the larger population at Tech," Nobles said, "and not just what Tech is now, but what Tech wants to be in the future. We want to have better ratios than are currently on campus."

According to Nobles, that goal is not always easy to achieve.

"When you're dealing with only one hundred students it's hard to get a balance," Nobles said.

The only main requirement for the program is that students have to take at least two Honors courses per semester.

"There is no minimum GPA that the students must keep to stay in the program," Nobles said. "Our inclination is not to go just by the numbers. We don't want to set standards until we have met with the students."

The entire program is smaller than many freshman classes, so advising the students who are struggling will be easier, according to Nobles.

"What I don't want to create is just another set of requirements," Nobles said. "We are trying to create a set of academic and intellectual opportunities and approach to learning."

According to Nobles, what is important is how students engage the material.

"We are pleased with the profile of the students," Nobles said. "We are also impressed and encouraged by the eagerness of the students."

The program is supported from faculty as well as support from admissions and housing.

"After initial skepticism, everyone is very supportive and enthusiastic," Nobles said.

The program is still in its infancy and the creating members of the program plan to allow the program to adapt as needed.

"We have a framework, but it will evolve and change overtime," Nobles said.