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Section M - The Honors College

Introduction

This section of the Academic Management Manual serves as a reference tool for faculty and staff in all matters concerning the Honors College at Palm Beach State College. Policies governing the Honors College at Palm Beach State have been developed in accordance with guidelines established by the National Collegiate Honors Council (NCHC).

Because the Honors College is a district-wide program, the policies and procedures in these pages should be followed closely. This is necessary to achieve uniformity in program standards and benchmarks. Where questions arise, please consult the Honors College Director, Honors College Faculty Coordinator, or your campus Faculty Honors Liaison.

Palm Beach State Honors College Mission

Academic Policies for Honors College

  1. Admissions Policy
    1. Students wishing to be admitted to the Palm Beach State Honors College must complete an Honors College Application or be invited to join.
    2. Students entering Palm Beach State College as a First Time In College (FTIC)
      1. Students who have not earned any college credits:
        1. must hold an unweighted 3.5 high school GPA and have college ready test scores or meet the following test scores for admissions:
        2. SAT combined minimum score of 1200, 600 reading and 600 math
        3. ACT average score of 22 (minimum of 21 English, 21 math, and 22 reading)
        4. College Ready Pert Scores minimum 113 reading, 123 math, 123 writing
        5. Must be pursuing an Associate in Arts Degree (A.A.) from Palm Beach State College.
    3. Current Palm Beach State College Students/Transfer Students/Early Admit High School
      1. Cumulative college level GPA of 3.5 or higher.
      2. A minimum of six (6) credit hours of college coursework must have a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or greater but no more than 24 college credits hours.
      3. Must be pursuing an Associate in Arts Degree (A.A.) from Palm Beach State College.
    4. Dual Enrollment Students – students are encouraged to graduate with the Associate of Arts degree (A.A.) to receive full distinction on college transcripts. Students must have completed and received approval of the required forms with Office of Dual Enrollment prior to applying for the Honors College.
      1. must hold an unweighted 3.5 high school GPA and if applicable a 3.5 GPA or higher of college credit
      2. SAT combined minimum score of 1200, 600 reading and 600 math
      3. ACT average score of 22 (minimum of 21 English, 21 math, and 22 reading)
      4. College Ready Pert Scores minimum 113 reading, 123 math, 123 writing
      5. Must not have over 24 hours of college credit earned.
      6. High School Dual Enrollment and Early Admission students do not receive early registration.
    5. Five-Year Rule Students
      1. Transcripts that are older than five (5) years will not be used to determine honors eligibility.
      2. A minimum of six (6) credit hours of college coursework must have a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or greater but no more than 24 college credits hours.
      3. Must be pursuing an Associate in Arts Degree (A.A.) from Palm Beach State College.

       

  2. Provisional Honors Student

    A student who meets the honors college eligibility requirements and does not yet wish to enter the honors college may take honors course for a semester only as a provisional student with permission from the Honors College Director. After the term ends, students who wish to continue will need to apply to the Honors College to be fully accepted.

     

  3. Retention Policy

    Grade point averages (GPA) are reviewed every semester.  Academic standing in the Honors College will be determined based on the following criteria:

     

    1. 3.4 and above = “In Good Standing”:  To remain “in good standing,” an honors student must maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of at least 3.4. 
      1. Students should note that the maintenance GPA is lower than the admission GPA.  The reason for this is because the Honors College does not want to discourage students from taking challenging courses for fear that their GPAs will drop below 3.5.  Risk-taking in intellectual ventures should be fostered.
      2. While maintenance GPA is 3.4, students should remember that the graduation GPA remains at 3.5.  Any student whose GPA is below 3.5 will not be eligible for graduation in the Honors College.

    2. 3.0 – 3.39 = “Not in Good Standing”: An honors student whose cumulative GPA falls below 3.5 but is at least 3.39 will be retained in the program as an honors student “not in good standing” for a semester. 
      1. Honors students will have one semester to raise their GPA to a current 3.4 and may be dismissed from the honors college.
      2. Honors students who are not in good standing will remain honors students and will be able to register early. 
      3. Students who are not in good standing will not be eligible for Palm Beach State honors scholarships and will not be recommended for transfer scholarships.
      4. Honors students who are not in good standing may not represent Palm Beach State at honors conferences.   
      5. An honors student who is not in good standing shall retain status as an honors student even if his/her cumulative GPA is below 3.5 so long as his/her term GPA is at least 3.5 for each subsequent semester at Palm Beach State.
      6. The loss of good standing in the Honors College is not intended as a punishment; it is a precautionary measure so that a student may focus attention on raising his/her GPA and returning to good standing in the program.

         

    3. Below 3.3 = Academic Ineligibility: An honors student whose cumulative GPA falls and does not return to a 3.4 after a semester or falls below 3.0 will be academically ineligible to continue in the Honors College.  Student will be notified via email of their dismissal.

       

  4. Graduation Policy

    There are two tracks to Honors Graduation:

     

    1. Honors Silver: Students who satisfy the following requirements will be eligible for the Honors Silver:
      1. Complete 12 credit hours of honors course work
      2. Maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.5
      3. Earn at least a “B” in each honors class
      4. Earn at least 20 points on the Honors Points System

         

    2. Honors Gold: Students who satisfy the following requirements will be eligible for the Honors Gold:
      1. Complete 21 total credit hours of honors work, of which
        1. Three (3) credit hours must be IDH2105, “Knowledge Through the  Ages”;
      2. Maintain a minimum GPA of 3.5
      3. Earn at least a “B” in each honors class
      4. Earn at least 40 points on the Honors Points System

         

    3. Purpose /scope of tracks: The Honors Silver track provides flexibility for students who want the honors experience but who may not be able to complete the requirements of the Honors Gold track. The Honors Gold track is intended for students who want a more intense honors experience and is especially recommended for students who plan to transfer to an upper-division Honors College or Honors Program. 

 

Documents

All documents can be found in the Honors College webpage- http://www.palmbeachstate.edu/honors

Appeals

Appeals

A student may appeal any decision concerning admission to, retention in, or graduation from the Honors College.  Appeals must be in the form of a letter addressed to the Palm Beach State Honors Advisory Council; the letter should explicitly address any mitigating considerations.  In addition, the student is encouraged to attach relevant documents supporting his/her case.  Appeals should be filed with the Honors College Director within 30 days of the initial decision.  The Honors College Director will arrange for the appeal to be heard by the Honors Advisory Council during the next regularly scheduled meeting.  If necessary, an electronic voting system will be used to decide matters of appeal.  

Honors Courses – Policies

Honors Course Development Guidelines

No course may be developed as an honors course without the approval of the Palm Beach State Curriculum Committee and Honors Advisory Council.  Honors courses should adhere to the following requirements and recommendations.

  1. Requirements:  Every honors course must:
    1. Address and integrate the goals of the Honors College mission and the Honors College Program Learning Outcomes into course instruction;
    2. Emphasize individual interpretation and analysis;
    3. Encourage creative and critical thinking;
    4. Examine questions from an interdisciplinary context;
    5. Delve more in-depth into the subject matter than the non-honors course version; honors courses should introduce students to the theoretical disputes and historical development of the discipline;
    6. Foster the ability to analyze and synthesize a broad range of materials and concepts;
    7. Stress the importance of effective oral and written communication skills;
    8. Promote teamwork and collaboration;
    9. Acquaint students with discipline-specific research skills;
    10. Encourage students to become active, self-motivated thinkers who will take greater responsibility for their own learning.
  2. Recommendations: Honors courses may:
    1. Incorporate different instructional materials other than the non-honors version; primary source materials (i.e., literature, works of art, official documents, film, diaries, statistical data, etc.) are preferred over textbooks; scholarly journals should be used where appropriate;
    2. Be conducted in a seminar-style classroom setting, with an emphasis on discussion;
    3. Apply theories to real-world situations; the social, cultural, and political context of classroom activities and course material should be considered whenever possible;
    4. Promote learning outside of the formal classroom;
    5. Provide opportunities for publication, public presentation, and peer review of student work;

Faculty wishing to develop an honors course should follow the procedural path outlined below. 

  1. A Palm Beach State faculty member will present a request to the Honors Advisory Council for a specific course to be developed as an honors course.  If it is decided that the course fits into the honors curriculum and fulfills goals and priorities set for the program, approval for course development will be given.
  2. The Palm Beach State faculty member will take the proposal to the discipline cluster and resolve all issues related to the honors version of the course.
  3. Once the cluster has affirmatively voted on the course proposal, the matter will return to the Honors Advisory Council.  Only that portion of the proposal which deals with honors pedagogy will be considered.  After discussion, the Honors Advisory Council will vote on the proposal.
  4. Once approved by the Honors Advisory Council, the course will go to Curriculum Committee.  Both votes – from cluster and the Board – will be reported to the Curriculum Committee.
  5. If the faculty member has not been certified as an honors faculty, he or she will have to attend and complete the requirements for the Honors College Faculty Certification Seminar.

 

To maintain the integrity of the Honors College, all honors classes will be scheduled by each campus with the guidance of the Honors College Director with the support Honors College Faculty Coordinator and Honors Faculty Liaison.  Honors courses may not be scheduled for any other program without the Honors College Director’s knowledge and agreement. All honors courses will be staffed by full-time faculty and adjunct instructors who are certified to teach honors courses.  Honors-certified instructors are faculty who have successfully completed the Honors College Faculty Certification Seminar or who taught at least one honors course consecutively within the past three (3) years. Honors College Coordinator with the support of the Faculty Liaison will work with associate deans to coordinate classes to ensure courses do not conflict with each other and that a balanced distribution of honors courses are offered across the various disciplines and campuses.

Honors classes should only be cancelled if the class cannot be converted to a 12-week course and/or the honors faculty prefers an honors course without stacking it with another section. Prior to cancelling an honors class, the Honors College Director and/or the Vice President of Academic Affairs must be consulted.  Faculty member and students must be notified of the honors course section cancellation prior to a Workday notification being sent. Where low enrollment necessitates the conversion of an honors course into a non-honors course, the honors section (and corresponding reference number) must be cancelled, and a new course and reference number generated.  Otherwise, notational markers will remain on student records.  

Honors classes at Palm Beach State are intended to simulate a graduate seminar environment and create a close-knit intellectual group.  Accordingly, the maximum size for honors classes is set at 15 students per class. The minimum size for honors classes is 6 students per class.  

Honors courses may be offered in four modalities: in person, hybrid, live online or hybrid live online classes.  Honors classes at Palm Beach State are intended to simulate a graduate seminar environment and create a close-knit intellectual group.  Accordingly, honors courses may not be offered as pure asynchronous/online.  

Honors Faculty

While honors faculty should reflect the make-up of the faculty at the college, they must exemplify excellence in the classroom and motivate the students to do the same.  Honors faculty will:

  1. Include the Honors Program Learning Outcomes in their course syllabus. 
  2. Allow their passion for their individual disciplines to shine through in their teaching;
  3. Embrace teaching strategies that empower students to take ownership of course material and approach questions from interdisciplinary perspectives;
  4. Maintain a record of substantive and continued scholarly achievement and campus enrichment;
  5. Encourage students to learn independently from direct sources of knowledge, such as laboratory experiences, original documents and other primary sources, data collections, service-learning opportunities, etc.;
  6. Enhance the critical and creative thinking skills of their students;
  7. Promote the active and interactive learning of their students through such techniques as coaching, mentoring, inquiry-based methods, supervised independent projects, and service learning;
  8. Provide thorough, frequent, and constructive assessment of students’ written and oral work;
  9. Be willing to involve students in their own research, scholarship, or creative activities;
  10. Be widely available to students outside of class time and posted office hours for mentoring, conversation, guidance, and the general enhancement of the students’ academic experience and personal development;
  11. Demonstrate a strong and ongoing commitment to promote excellence in honors education, being fully aware of the Honors College mission and helping to evolve the philosophy of the program as needed;
  12. Be active and dedicated advocates of the Honors College on campus and off; this includes attending honors events, being willing to serve on the Honors Advisory writing letters of recommendation for honors students, attending honors conferences, recruiting new honors students, working with student groups, etc.

Intellectual risk-taking is a foremost value in honors education.  Faculty should be sensitive to the ways that course evaluation thwarts experimentation and risk-taking.  For this reason, course evaluation should be based on methods and measures that accurately assess creativity, imagination, and critical thinking.  Mastery of course objectives should be stressed over accumulation of points and percentages.  In this sense, a certain ‘artfulness’ comes to bear in assigning grades. 

Beyond this, grading in honors classes should not force students into competition with one another for a limited number of “A” grades.  In determining grades, faculty should compare the honors student to all students at the same level, not simply to honors students in isolation.  At the same time, faculty must completely evaluate the student’s command of course material.  Where course expectations are not met, there should be no hesitation to award a low grade.

I.   Full-time faculty or adjunct instructors who are interested in teaching an honors course must be recommended by their associate dean or department chair to teach an honors course.

II.   Full-time faculty must have taught at Palm Beach State College for at least 1 academic year (2 consecutive semester) within the same discipline.  Adjunct faculty must have taught at Palm Beach State College for at least 2 academic year (4 consecutive semester) within the same discipline.

III.   Honors faculty or adjunct instructors must be certified to teach an honors course, or have taught an honors course within three consecutive years.

IV.   Faculty or adjunct instructors who are interested in teaching should reach out to the Honors College Faculty Coordinator to determine if there is a need for faculty to teach within their discipline.

V.   Faculty or adjunct instructor will participate and complete in the Honors Faculty Certification Seminar facilitated by the Honors College Faculty Coordinator.

VI.   Upon completion of the Seminar, faculty or adjunct instructor will complete and submit for approval an Honors Course Implementation Plan.

VII.  Once their Implementation Plan is approved, the faculty or adjunct instructor will be recognized as an honors faculty member.

VIII. Honors faculty or adjunct instructor are assigned to classes on a as needed basis and are not guaranteed to teach an honors course.

In Summer 2022, the Honors Project Contracts were sunset to students entering the Honors College.

Students who entered prior to Summer 2022 and attended a Honors College mandatory orientation prior to the summer will be eligible to complete an honors project. 

Students must request the required documents to complete an honors project from the Honors College Director or the Honors College Faculty Coordinator. This request must be made no later than the last day of attendance verification as stated in the Academic Calendar for the 15-week or 12-week semesters only. 

If a student completes an approved Honors College Project, the following steps are needed to ensure notation of Honors in the student transcript.

Once the project is complete and approved by the instructor and the Honors College Director, the honors notation should be added to the student’s transcript.  Procedures for adding honors notation to a student’s transcript:

  1. 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.
  2. Second, contact the registrar’s department to add the Honors Project Option designator on Workday should be added to the class and enter reference number and set the maximum honors size depending on how many students completed Honors Projects in the class. 
  3. Third, the honors designator must be added to the student’s class schedule on Workday.  Enter the Student ID and choose the term.  This brings up the student’s schedule. The Honors College will provide the class that the student has completed the project.
  4. After the above steps have been completed, the registrar’s office will notify the Honors College that notations have been completed on the student transcript. 

Each academic year, honors students will be invited to submit research papers and other items (poems, photography) for inclusion in the Sabiduria publication. The deadline for submission will be a date in the Fall semester determined by the Honors Faculty Advisor. Selected items will be published in a document to be submitted no later than the end of the academic year. The document will be produced in Word or Microsoft Publishing and posted to the web, and a limited print run will be made. 

Honors Councils/Travel Policy

Honors Co-Curricular Activities

The Honors College Co-Curricular Activities is designed to encourage active participation in the Honors community, in the Palm Beach State College community, and in the national, local, and international communities to which we belong. Students pursuing the Honors Gold or Silver track are expected to earn minimum number of points, such points include: Honors, Service, and Cultural Events. Students are required to submit their points during the semester they participate in the activity.  Honors College students graduating must submit all points one month prior to the graduation medallion ceremony.  In addition, honors activity points may also provide a quantitative basis for scholarship determinations, program awards, and other merit-based benefits.

Honors Scholarships

  • Seek the Honors Silver track and maintain a 3.5 GPA each semester
  • Register for one semester in Honors SOW1051LR Community Based Learning and IDH2150 Knowledge Through The Ages
  • Maintain a 3.5 GPA each semester and cumulative GPA
  • Continuous full-time enrollment
  • Successful completion of 24 credit hours per academic year (fall and spring terms only)
  1. Have successfully completed two honors course during the semester of application and be currently enrolled in an honors course;
  2. Be a full-time student (enrolled in at least 12 hours);
  3. Maintain a minimum 3.5 cumulative GPA; and
  4. Submit the application by the deadline.
  5. Seek the Honors Silver track 

 

The Honors College plays a vital role in the application process when an honors student applies for a State College Honors Scholarships at one of the state universities.  However, these scholarships are administered by the separate universities; no guarantee about the availability of these scholarships should be made to Palm Beach State honors students.

Honors Advisory Council

The Honors Advisory Council is composed of faculty, staff, faculty honors liaisons, the Honors College Faculty Coordinator, one administrator, and the Honors College Director.  The Council meets as needed.  A published agenda should be distributed at least two days prior to each meeting.  Minutes will be distributed and posted online.

Honors Student Advisory Council

The Honors Student Advisory Committee serves as a liaison to the college-wide advisory Council, representing the needs and concerns of honors students to the Palm Beach State administration.  Comprised of interested honors students committed to regular attendance and improving the quality of the program, the committee meets monthly each term.  A President, Vice-President, Secretary and Historian will be selected from the membership.  

Honors College Procedures

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 HONORS Cohort designator should be end-termed for students who are academically ineligible for the program and updated in the Honors College Database. 

  1. Record graduation in the Honors database, noting term of graduation and whether or not the student graduated with Honors;
  2. Change status in the database from “current” to “not current”;
  3. End-term the HONORS Cohort designator in Workday; and

Students who have not taken honors course each semester should be end-termed as honors students per policies of the acknowledgment form provided when student enter the Honors College. Follow similar procedures for graduated students.

If these procedures are followed, the records on Student Workday should always yield an accurate account of the number of active Honors students.

A student who fulfills all the requirements for Honors College Graduation will have “Honors College Graduate” noted on his / her transcript.  A separate application must be completed for Honors Graduation by the student within the designated deadline given in the Honors Calendar.  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.

Graduates will have the seal of the Dr. Floyd F. Koch Honors College in their Associate in Arts degree. 

In scheduling honors courses, the course section tag “HONORS: HONORS COURSE” must be added to a create an honors section. Under the direction of the Honors College Faculty Coordinator with the support of the Honors Faculty Campus Liaisons, courses are double-checked each term that the class information and notes are correct on Workday.

For each Honors class make sure that:

  1. The Course Section Tag, “HONORS: HONORS COURSE” is added on each Honors class;
  2. “Honors” (or an abbreviation) is in the title of the course;
  3. The maximum class size is set at 15;
  4. The Eligibility Rule: Student is a member of the HONORS Student Cohort is selected and
  5. The schedule note reads: “Honors Class: Students must be admitted to the Honors College to register.  To apply, visit http://www.palmbeachstate.edu/honors/.  For more information, e-mail honors@palmbeachstate.edu or call 561-868-3895.

To ensure that honors course is listed correctly,

  1.  Search:  Find Courses and Register
  2. Click on the Course Tag, “HONORS: HONORS COURSE”

The calendar is used to identify deadlines for graduation and scholarships. 

The Honors College communicates with students via the Honors College Canvas course, social media outlets, and Palm Beach State College email.

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/VPAA 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/VPAA responsible for the Honors College.

Honors student activities are funded from the District Student Activities account.  The Student Activities budget provides funding for student travel, honors graduation reception, poster sessions, and any other student activities.  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.

The Honors College has oversight on all Panther's Closets, and it is run by Honors College students. Honors credit is awarded to students who enroll in Honors Service-Learning Community-Based course that teaches key entrepreneurial skills in business management, sales and teambuilding and support the closet.