TABLA 4.16 Graduados por programa

Honors College Companion Program

The Honors College Companion Program will be the catalyst to unite students within the Frederik Meijer Honors College. Every student within the FMHC will be paired with one or two other Honors student by intended major, personality types, hobbies, class year, gender,

hometown, Honors Interdisciplinary Freshman Sequence, etc. according to the students’ wants and needs. Upon orientation, all incoming Honors students will fill out a form to list

personal details and decide what they would be looking for in a Companion. It will be necessary to rank the most important aspects in a Companion, as there may not be a perfect fit for

everyone. If unable to attend Honors orientation, these forms will be available to be completed online through resources such as the FMHC website and Honors Blackboard. Students may also choose to opt out of the Honors College Companion Program but before making this

decision, will be informed of all potential benefits of having a Companion. Benefits of the Companion Program include, but are not limited to, having a buddy to go to events with, talking to a peer about classes, networking within your field of study, informing each other of new Honors information and opportunities, and above all, a friend (Figure 13). The Honors College Companion Program will not replace the current Honors Mentor Council, but create an

intentional, longer-term, and individualized experience resulting in more intimate relationships between Honors students. The Companion Program will run throughout the year and be actively managed to accommodate students and their Companions as they graduate, transfer, or move to new networks. The forms will be reviewed by either the current FMHC Mentor Council,

ANCHOR, or a new executive board to assist in pairing students. This innovation will facilitate communication between students to become more involved in the Honors College.

Subsequently, students will be more invested in their Honors College experience, and may be more inclined to get involved in programs such as ANCHOR and the Mentor Council, or to attend more Honors College events.

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Figure 13. Two students who became friends through the Honors College Companion Program

Honors Open Assembly

We will increase student involvement and awareness of the decisions being made in the Honors College through the establishment of an Open Assembly event (Figure

14). These events will occur once every month and will provide opportunities for students to network with faculty, administration, and peers. At the meetings, there will be several predetermined topics of discussion, selected by Honors College administration and faculty or through student feedback. The assembly topics of discussion will be advertised prior to the meeting to attract students who may be passionate about the topics discussed. The meeting will be run in an open discussion format, with student representatives from ANCHOR and the Mentor Council, faculty, and the Honors administration facilitating the

discussion. The assembly meetings will not be solely attending to the business of

Honors, however. The format will provide faculty and students the opportunity to speak about their current Honors classes or projects, which may encourage others at the meeting to become more involved with Honors specific projects or to meet other students who may have similar interests. Specifically, Honors students working on their senior projects will have the

opportunity to present their hard work at the events. Many students have referred to the senior project as a subject of some mystery. Seeing other students presenting their Honors Senior Project work and recognizing the required format and topics will be very helpful for students

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who are nervous or confused about planning their own senior project. The meeting style will be informal, with no requirement on having to stay for the whole meeting but being able to drop in or out at any time during the discussion. This will encourage those students to come who would like to attend but have a schedule conflict for the first hour or who may have to leave early. Food will be offered during the meeting to encourage attendance. A sample Honors College Assembly would start with giving some time before the meeting for attendees to get food and snacks offered. The meeting would then begin with opening statements and

announcements, including updates from the previous FMHC Assembly and upcoming events. Next would be a short 5 to 10-minute presentation by a student on their senior project or a speaker to inspire Honors students, etc. Then, the main discussion topics will be announced, and the floor will be open to new topic suggestions. Once all topics have been announced, tables will be designated to each topic and attendees may choose the topic/s they would like to discuss for the remainder of the Assembly. At these tables, there will be a leader to guide discussions, which can include the person who introduced the topic or student, faculty, and administration representatives. The tables will also include paper, sticky notes, writing utensils, and other resources that may be helpful to deepen ideas and discussions. With 5 minutes remaining, the leader of the Assembly meeting will end with closing remarks and collect all suggestions and notes from the meeting to enable further discussion and actions to positively impact the future of the Frederik Meijer Honors College.

Figure 14. A collaborative space to talk about issues within the Honors College and brainstorm solutions

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