Honors applicants are reviewed to see if they meet eligibility requirements. Applicants who are not eligible are reviewed by the Honors College Manager and may be admitted provisionally for one term. If a student is accepted into the program, an honors designator is put on the student’s record: HC. The HC will allow the student to receive early registration and be designated as an honor student when registering for courses. Students without the HC designator are not able to register for honors courses unless there is a schedule override. The PantherNet path for adding designators to the student’s record is: ST AD AP SP. After the student designators are added, contact information and relevant academic data are entered into the honors database. The student is then notified of acceptance/non-acceptance into the program.
At the end of each term when grades are posted, a status report for all students with the HC designator should be requested from the Office of Institutional Research and Effectiveness. The report should show GPA, current hours, last term attended, and whether the student has graduated from any program.
Grade Point Average
A student’s standing in the program will be determined by the established Academic Policies. A student who is “not in good standing” or who becomes academically ineligible will be notified. The HC designator should be end-termed for students who are academically ineligible for the program.
Completion of Degree
Many students graduate but do not fulfill the requirements of the Honors College. These students must be maintained in an orderly fashion as well. For every student who has graduated:
- Record graduation in the Honors database, noting term of graduation and whether or not the student graduated with Honors;
- Change status in the database from “current” to “not current”;
- End-term the HC designator; and
- Send an e-mail congratulating the student on graduation and notifying the student the designators have been removed. Graduated students wishing to continue in honors classes should contact the Honors College.
Non-active students
Students who have not taken an honors course or project at least once an academic year should be end-termed as honors students. Follow similar procedures for graduated students. Non-active students wishing to continue in the Honors College should contact the Honors College.
If these procedures are followed, the records on PantherNet should always yield an accurate account of the number of active Honors students.
Honors Graduation
A student who fulfills all of the requirements for Honors Graduation will have “Honors Graduate” noted on his/her transcript. A separate application must be completed for Honors Graduation. At least a month before commencement, the entire list of students planning to graduate with Honors should be sent to the graduation office so that “Honors College Graduate” may be noted in the commencement bulletin and on the name card that will be read at graduation. After the term is complete, the transcripts of those who applied for graduation should be checked. For each student, verify that the student completed the requirements for either the Honors Silver or Honors Gold. Students admitted to the program under the “Five Year Rule” must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.5 for all non-exempt coursework. Once the final list of honors graduates is verified, send the list to the graduation office requesting that “Honors College” be added to the graduation notes of each student.
Procedure for Scheduling Honors Courses
In scheduling Honors courses, the course designators H2 and HC should be added to each class. The Honors College Manager and Faculty Liaisons should double-check each term that the class information is correct on PantherNet.
PantherNet Path: ST CU CC MC
For each Honors class make sure that:
- The Honors designators (H2 and HC) are on each Honors class;
- “Honors” (or an abbreviation) is in the title;
- The maximum class size is set at 15; and
- The schedule note reads: “Honors Class: Students must be admitted to the Honors College to register. To apply, visit www.pbsc.edu/honorscollege. For more information, e-mail honors@palmbeachstate.edu or call 561-868-3895.
A general class query should also be run (ST CU QC QC) to make sure there are no non-honors classes with honors designators. In particular, remove the H1 or H3 designators from all classes, as these will erroneously show as honors classes when a student runs a PantherWeb search. The H3 designator (Honors Projects Option) will be placed on the class later to facilitate students who are doing projects; however, it does not need to be on the course during the registration period. The H1 designator is defunct and no longer in use.
Honors Project Contracts
Once the project is complete and approved by the instructor, the associate dean, and the Honors College Manager, the honors notation should be added to the student’s transcript. Procedures for adding honors notation to a student’s transcript:
- First, verify the student earned at least a “B” in the course. If the student did not earn at least a “B,” honors credit cannot be granted. A notification letter should be sent to the student as soon as possible. The student may, if he or she chooses, pursue a grade appeal in the course. Ex post facto policy notwithstanding, the project will be kept open until the student’s appeal rights are exhausted.
- Second, contact the registrar’s department to add the Honors Project Option designator (H3) should be added to the class. The PantherNet path for this is: ST CU CC MR. Enter reference number and set the maximum honors size depending on how many students completed Honors Projects in the class. Hit F11 and enter action “M” to add the H3 designator to the course. If you receive a message that says “invalid option,” it may have to be added to the course dictionary.
- Third, the honors designator must be added to the student's class schedule. The PantherNet path for this is ST RG RG. Enter the Student ID and choose the term. This brings up the student’s schedule. In the far left column type “A”; in the third column (*Opt) type “H.” Hit enter.
- After the above steps have been completed, notify the registrar’s office so the “Honors” notation can be added to the transcript. You will need to provide Student ID, term, course number, and reference number for the course in which the Honors Project Contract was completed. For ease of processing, the entire list for the term should be sent at one time and not piecemeal.
- Last, congratulatory letters or emails should be sent to students.
Honors Calendar
Each term, the Honors College Manager should establish the following due dates:
| EVENT |
APPROXIMATE DUE DATE |
| Honors contracts due to Instructors |
Approximately three weeks into the term |
| Honors contracts due to Honors College |
One week after the contracts are due to instructors |
| Honors projects due to instructors (for students graduating that term) |
Approximately eleven weeks into the term |
| Honors projects due to Honors College (for students graduating that term) |
One week after the projects are due to instructors |
| Honors graduation applications due to Academic Services |
At the same time projects for graduating students are due to Honors College |
| Honors projects due to instructors (non-graduating students) |
Approximately thirteen weeks into the term |
| Honors Scholarship - Application Deadline |
Approximately twelve weeks into the term |
| Honors projects due to Academic Services (non-graduating students) |
One week after the projects are due to instructors |
Honors Code of Ethics
The Dr. Floyd F. Koch Honors College at Palm Beach State College is a community of scholars founded on honesty and mutual respect. Members are expected to exemplify the highest standards of honor and academic integrity. Honors students are expected to adhere to the Palm Beach State College Student Code of Conduct which is found in the Palm Beach State College Handbook. Honors students in violation of the Student Code of Conduct may be subject to dismissal from the Honors College upon recommendation of the Honors Advisory Council to the appropriate Dean responsible for the Honors College. Students who appeal a decision for dismissal from the Honors College must follow the appeal process as indicated in the Palm Beach State College Handbook. Additionally, Honors students may be dismissed from the Honors College upon recommendation of the Honors Advisory Council for any actions, whether on-campus or off-campus, deemed to be contrary to the values of the Dr. Floyd F. Koch Honors College. Student appeals to such a dismissal must be submitted in writing to the Honors Advisory Council which will consider the appeal and make its recommendation the appropriate Dean responsible for the Honors College.
Honors Councils
Institutional membership dues are billed annually. Palm Beach State also subscribes to two publications published by NCHC: The Journal of the National Collegiate Honors Council and Honors in Practice. Subscription fees for these journals are billed with the annual dues and are paid out of the College’s institutional membership budget.
Honors- Academic Affairs Budget
Operational and staff budgets provide resources to the Honors College for recruitment, faculty travel, and any other needs for the Honors suite.
Honors Student Activities Budget
Honors student activities are funded from the District Student Activities account (org. # 25100000-200020-94). The Student Activities budget provides funding for student travel, honors graduation reception, poster sessions, and any other student activities (e.g., PantherFest, information sessions, etc.). Program-related food expenses must come out of the Student Activities budget. Budget requests should be prepared and submitted each spring to Student Activities District Funding Committee.
Panther’s Closet
Panther's Closet is run by Honors College students. Honors credit is awarded to students who enroll in this community-based learning course that teaches key entrepreneurial skills in management, sales and teambuilding. Panther’s Closet is overseen by the Dr. Floyd F. Koch Honors College.
Marketing of the Honors College
Marketing of the Honors College includes but is not limited to:
Honors Fliers
When classes are finalized for the upcoming term, fliers that list Honors classes should be printed and distributed. These should be distributed to faculty, associate deans, and advising offices.
Email blasts and Text Messages
Before registration opens, current honors students and potential honors students should be emailed information on classes and other college news, with emphasis on recruiting new students to the program.
Honors College Web Page
The Web page should be checked regularly for broken links. Periodic update should occur as well. Specifically, the calendar page should be updated as soon as dates for the term are decided. Additionally, new course information should be added to the “Honors Classes” as soon as classes are finalized. Further, any change in program policies and procedures should be noted on the Web page.