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The Committee to Review the Honors and Scholars Programs appointed by Interim Executive Vice President and Provost Barbara R. Snyder was charged during its first meeting, October 6, 2003, to assess the Honors and Scholars Programs and present recommendations with particular reference to:

• Intellectual content of honors programs
• Honors Collegium with special reference to its effectiveness in preparing high ability students to compete for post-baccalaureate fellowships
• Recruitment and retention of students
• Relationship between the honors and scholars programs
• Relationship of the Honors & Scholars Center to college honors programs

The Review Committee's basic data source was the Self-Study of the University Honors & Scholars Center. Additional data and information were obtained from various University sources as detailed in the report.

The Review Committee's findings, conclusions, and recommendations are summarized below. The complete report of the Committee is on pages 9 to 36.

Findings and Conclusions: General

•  Undergraduate Honors at The Ohio State University is a decentralized system of honors programs administered and conducted by colleges and schools. Both the substance and rigor of honors programs are determined by the colleges, schools, and departments, and ultimately by faculty members, who teach courses completed by Honors students, supervise students' research, and advise students. The Review Committee concurs with the assessment stated in the Self-Study of the University Honors & Scholars Center that "the heart of an individual Honors student's program resides in his or her college."

•  In Autumn 2003, 50% of the 5,523 Honors students were enrolled in the five Colleges of the Arts and Sciences, 24.5% in the College of Engineering, 14.8% in the Fisher College of Business, with the remaining 10.7% distributed among the Colleges of Education, Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences, Human Ecology, Nursing, Social Work, and Pharmacy and the Schools of Allied Medical Professions, Architecture, and Natural Resources.

•  College and school honors programs are loosely coordinated by the University Honors & Scholars Center. Major responsibilities currently carried out by the University Honors & Scholars Center include (a) recruiting, in collaboration with the Office of Admissions and First Year Experience, students who qualify for Honors or Scholars status, (b) planning and conducting co-curricular activities open to Honors and Scholars students, (c) informing Honors students about honors courses offered each quarter, (d) providing funds to support the development of honors courses and scholarships for Honors students' thesis research, (e) conducting the Denman Undergraduate Research Forum and the international research exchange for undergraduate research with the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil, (f) conducting the recently established Honors Collegium, and (g) administering the University's Scholars programs.

•  Interviews with administrators and faculty members and a review of the Self-Study of the Honors & Scholars Center identify two major goals of OSU's Honors Programs: a) Offer students an enriched academic experience to achieve to their full potential through the integration of curricular and co-curricular activities, and b) Recruit and retain high ability students.

•  With the exception of the contents of the Self-Study of the Honors & Scholars Center, the committee did not find a pattern of administration describing the mission and goals of the University Honors & Scholars Center, policy and practice for coordinating college and school honors programs, or policy and plans for the systematic assessment of its programs and activities. The Honors & Scholars Center has not regularly prepared an annual report.

•  Significant progress has been made in advancing the honors agenda at the University since the issuance of the 1985 report "Review of Honors Programs at The Ohio State University" (Appendix A). However, additional funding for an expansion of honors curricular and co-curricular activities, the Honors Collegium, and facility maintenance for the Kuhn Honors & Scholars House is necessary for further strengthening of honors programs.

Recommendations: General

1. The University, colleges, schools, and departments should continue to place high priority on enabling students who participate in OSU's diverse honors programs to receive a unique educational experience that is challenging, enriching, and useful for achieving their career aspirations. In addition to an enriched honors curriculum, desirable components of an honors experience include personalized advising, challenging honors courses, encouragement to conduct research that is reported in a senior thesis, study abroad and internship experiences, community service participation, relevant co-curricular activities, and honors residence hall living. (See Appendix K for the Review Committee's proposed "Ideal Honors Experience at OSU.")

2. The Office of Academic Affairs should initiate a review and codification of current policy regarding Undergraduate Honors at The Ohio State University. Of particular importance is the clarification and assessment of (a) the goals to be achieved by OSU's honors programs, (b) standards for admission to the University with Honors status and for the retention of Honors students, (c) targets regarding the proportion of entering students admitted with Honors status, and (d) identification of the administrative offices and/or University Senate committees responsible for developing, implementing, and monitoring University policy pertaining to Undergraduate Honors.

3. The University Honors & Scholars Center should be designated an "Academic Center" in accordance with section 3335-3-36 of the Bylaws of the Board of Trustees. The Review Committee recommends that the following requirements for academic centers mandated by section 3335-3-36 be implemented: (a) the appointment of an oversight committee, (b) the development of a pattern of administration that describes the mission, goals, and responsibilities of the University Honors & Scholars Center, (c) the preparation of an annual report, and (d) the required review every four years including recommendations concerning governance, performance, and effectiveness.

4. The University Honors & Scholars Center, in collaboration with the Office of the Vice President for University Development, should intensify efforts to secure funding to endow honors curricular and co-curricular activities, the Honors Collegium, and maintenance of the Kuhn Honors & Scholars House.

Findings and Conclusions: Intellectual Content of Honors Programs

•  Honors students are offered a wide variety of activities for intellectual engagement and enrichment - honors courses, research opportunities, study abroad, counsel and advice by faculty members and honors advisors, an array of co-curricular activities, and residence living experiences. Based on the data available, the extent to which Honors students take advantage of these opportunities is not clear.

•  Honors students' responses to an Honors Program End-of-the-Year Assessment in Spring 2003 indicated that over one-half of freshmen Honors students completed two or fewer honors courses during the academic year, averaging less than one honors course per quarter. Almost three-fourths of rank 2, 3, and 4 Honors students reported taking two or fewer honors courses during the academic year.

•  With a few exceptions, there is little evidence that honors courses are oversubscribed. The number of Arts & Sciences honors courses available appears to be adequate for current student demand, assuming that these courses meet the needs of most Honors students. Unfortunately, the available data were insufficient to confirm whether students' needs are being met.

•  The University offers one study abroad opportunity reserved for Honors students - the London Honors Tour consisting of an autumn quarter seminar followed by an eight-day tour of London with faculty and staff. With approximately 1,200 Honors students admitted each year, a small proportion has the opportunity to take advantage of an honors study abroad experience.

•  Sixteen percent (1,273) of the 7,902 students graduating during 2002-03 carried an Honors designation; 19% of the Honors-designation students graduated "With Distinction," which requires a thesis or research project. One third (34%) of the Honors-designation students graduated "With Honors" in their major area of study.

•  A collection of co-curricular enrichment activities is supported by the University Honors & Scholars Center that are open to all Honors and Scholars students. Also, the Honors & Scholars Center offers diverse opportunities for Honors students to be engaged in service activities both at the University and in the local community.

•  Committed faculty and/or honors advisors are essential for effective honors programs. Quantitative data about advising were not available, but information from interviews suggests that advising in the Arts and Sciences may be problematic, particularly in reference to accessibility of honors advisors and the differential quality of the advice given.

Recommendations: Intellectual Content of Honors Programs

5. Honors students should complete more honors courses or appropriate upper-level courses. The Review Committee suggests a reasonable goal for students carrying an Honors designation is a minimum of three honors courses (or comparably challenging upper-level courses) per year for the first two years.

6. There should be a continuing review of the possible impacts of budget restructuring on honors instruction.

7. A long-term goal of the University's honors programs should be to have a higher proportion of Honors students graduate "With Honors" and/or "With Distinction."

8. Faculty and college honors advisors, as well as the University Honors & Scholars Center staff, should be more proactive in assisting Honors students wishing to conduct undergraduate research to make contact with appropriate faculty members who will advise and direct Honors students.

9. All Honors students should be encourage to participate in a study abroad program. The Review Committee recommends that the University Honors & Scholars staff, in cooperation with the Office of International Affairs, inform Honors and Scholars students about opportunities for study abroad and encourage their participation by making need-based fellowships available on a competitive basis for students who cannot afford the currently required fees.

10. Colleges, schools, and departments should give high priority to the advising of Honors students.

11. Better statistics and descriptive information should be accumulated to facilitate an evaluation, including cost-effectiveness analysis, of the strengths and weaknesses of the co-curricular activities conducted by the University Honors & Scholars Center.

Findings and Conclusions: Honors Collegium

•  The Self-Study of the University Honors & Scholars Center states that OSU continues "to lag behind our peers in terms of numbers of students who receive major national fellowships and scholarships." The Honors Collegium was initiated in 2002 for the purpose of mentoring and coaching selected high-ability students to compete for prestigious post-baccalaureate fellowships, scholarships, and graduate study. The recently established Collegium is currently in a state of transition, consequently it is not possible to assess its effectiveness in accomplishing the goals it was established to achieve. The Review Committee concurs that the Collegium can be an important component of the University's honors programs that warrants further development and support.

Recommendations: Honors Collegium

12. The University Honors & Scholars Center should place high priority on the further development of the recently established Honors Collegium to emphasize goals broader than the recruitment, selection, and coaching of candidates for prestigious post-baccalaureate fellowships and scholarships.

13. Goals to be achieved by the Honors Collegium should be developed by the Collegium faculty advisory committee in consultation with the Director of the Honors & Scholars Center and the Collegium Director.

14. In the further development of the Honors Collegium, emphasis should be placed on admission by application, early introduction to research, challenging interdisciplinary seminars, and flexibility of curricular requirements, including the GEC.

Findings and Conclusions: Recruitment and Retention of Students

•  The Self-Study of the University Honors & Scholars Center states that OSU admission policy targets 20% of entering freshmen to be admitted as Honors students by direct admission and/or application. In Autumn 2003, 1,517 entering students (24% of 6,258 entering students) were accepted for Honors status. Of the entering freshman class, the average composite ACT score for non-Honors freshmen was 24.1 while the average for Honors freshmen was 29.4. Thus, the average ACT score for the freshmen class was 25.4. In Autumn 2003, 5,523 students (~15% of 37,605 undergraduates) carried an Honors designation.

•  The University's honors programs are an important recruitment tool. Honors programs attract a vital, curious, and dynamic group of students who enrich all aspects of University life.

•  Adequate data are not available to assess the extent to which students entering OSU with Honors status or subsequently attaining Honors status successfully complete the requirements of honors programs in the various colleges and schools. Better methods are needed for tracking the progress of Honors students during their time at OSU.

•  Evidence suggests that a significant percentage of Honors-designated students do not take advantage of honors program opportunities other than priority scheduling. Priority scheduling is viewed as a critical tool for recruiting high-ability students.

Recommendations: Recruitment and Retention of Students

15. The University Honors & Scholars Center, in collaboration with the Offices of Admissions, should continue an aggressive campaign to recruit high-ability Honors students.

16. Honors status should be decoupled from priority scheduling. To ensure that priority scheduling is offered equitably across all colleges, The Review Committee recommends that the appropriate governing body determine whether this benefit can be offered to all high-achieving students, including Honors-designated students, who maintain a certain GPA (such as 3.5).

17. Honors designation should be reserved for students who are actively pursuing an honors program and for entering Honors students during the first three quarters of enrollment.

18. Each college and school should develop mechanism for monitoring the progress of Honors students by documenting the honors courses, research, and co-curricular activities completed by Honors students, and for assessing how well its students are served by the Honors curricular and co-curricular activities.

Findings and Conclusions: Relationship Between Honors Programs and Scholars Programs

•  Honors and scholars programs share the same administrative structure - an Associate Provost serves as Director of both Honors and Scholars. Both programs (a) share a goal to recruit and retain high ability students, (b) have strong programs of co-curricular activities, and (c) involve residence-living programs.

A substantial proportion (from 10% to 30% for the first-established scholars programs) of Scholars students migrate to honors programs through the attainment of the required GPA.

•  General funds that support the University Honors & Scholars Center have not been diverted to support scholars programs. With the establishment of scholars programs, funds for scholars programming and coordination have been added to the general funds budget for the University Honors & Scholars Center; major funding for scholars programming and coordination is provided by colleges, the Office of Student Affairs, and Kirwan Legacy funds administered by the Honors & Scholars Center.

•  The Review Committee concludes that there is substantial crossover between honors programs and scholars programs and that both programs benefit by having close ties and a common administrative structure. The combined workload of directing both programs currently is the responsibility of the Director of the Honors & Scholars Center. The Director does not have adequate administrative support to oversee both programs.

Recommendations: Relationship Between Honors and Scholars Programs

19. The close tie between honors and scholars programs, including administration through the University Honors & Scholars Center, should be continued.

20. A full-time associate director for scholars programs should be employed who would report to the Director of the University Honors & Scholars Center.

Findings and Conclusions: Relationship Between the University Honors & Scholars Center and College Honors Programs

•  As an "umbrella organization for all of the honors programs on campus" (Self-Study of the University Honors & Scholars Center) the Honors & Scholars Center serves an important coordinating function. The Honors Directors Committee facilitates the coordinating role of the University Honors & Scholars Center. The Honors Faculty Advisory Committee provides advice to the Director of the University Honors & Scholars Center.

•  The University Honors & Scholars Center's formal role regarding the academic content of college honors programs is limited to providing enrichment funds to support the development of new honors courses and providing scholarships supporting students who write a senior thesis.

•  The Review Committee identified several policy and programmatic issues pertaining to the relationship between the University Honors & Scholars Center and college and school honors programs that warrant further study and resolution.

Recommendation: Relationship Between the University Honors & Scholars Center and College Honors Programs

21. A committee, established by the Office of Academic Affairs and the University Honors & Scholars Center, should be charged to review, clarify, and recommend policy regarding the relationship between the University Honors & Scholars Center, college and school honors programs, and other units involved in honors programming. Some issues that warrant examination are identified on page 34 of this report.

Findings and Conclusions: Relationship Between Honors and Scholars Programs and Residence Life Programs

•  Honors students have an option of living in one of four residence halls designated for Honors students. Approximately 60% of first year Honors students choose to do so. The University Honors & Scholars Center staff works closely with resident advisors and hall directors; the University Honors & Scholars Center financially supports some in-hall programming. Each of the ten scholars programs involves a residence living experience.

•  Since a residence living program is an important component of honors and scholars programs, Residence Life participation in long-time planning, particularly as it relates to facility use, is needed. There is an opportunity for improvement in communication and planning among the University Honors & Scholars Center, Residence Life, and college honors and scholars residence-living programs.

Recommendations: Relationship Between Honors and Scholars Programs and Residence Life Programs

22. Residence Life should be a full collaborating partner in planning for and developing both honors and scholars residence-living programs and their coordination with other programs for campus residents.

23. The alignment and differentiation of honors, scholars, and living-learning programs should be clearly defined and communicated to students, faculty, staff, and parents.

24. The University Honors & Scholars Center should play a key role in improving the coordination of residence-living activities, college honors program activities, and activities conducted by the University Honors & Scholars Center.

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