In order to be truly regarded as a fully developed Honors College, rather than just an Honors Program, there are many qualifications. These can range from characteristics of the staff involved to the courses offered and even to the residence halls available. At Southern Arkansas University, there is an Honors College, but is it really able to be recognized as such? Does SAU’s Honors College meet all of the criteria?
One of the characteristics of a fully developed Honors College is that the head should be a dean who reports directly to the chief academic officer of the institution and serves as a full member of the Council of Deans. Also, the dean should be appointed full time for 12 months. At Southern Arkansas University, Dr. Ed Kardas is the head of the Honors College. He is a professor of psychology, but he’s not a dean. This situation means that Dr. Kardas is not a full member of the Council of the Deans. Therefore, in this aspect, SAU cannot be recognized as having an Honors College.
However, is having a dean in charge really of the utmost importance? Perhaps Dr. Kardas is just as well, or even more so, qualified as a dean at another university. If he seems to be teaching his classes well, and students are learning, then there is no reason why it should not be considered a legitimate Honors College.
All in all, technically Southern Arkansas University’s Honors College is not really an Honors College at all. Although it meets some of the requirements, it doesn’t meet them all. This is unfortunate because the Honors College at SAU seems to be fully functioning and well ordered. It also seems to be developing rapidly, so perhaps within the next few years, it will become a complete Honors College. In the meantime, it still sounds and looks prestigious.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment