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College of C&F announces new honors program
By Shelly Lutton '06
After almost eight years of deliberation, the
College of Commerce & Finance has announced plans to launch a new honors
program for business students. Beginning fall 2005, the program will be
offered to the incoming freshmen class, as well as to current business
students who are able to complete the requirements by graduation. Students
who successfully complete the program will earn the degree Bachelor of
Science, Business Honors. This program is unique from business Honors
degrees offered by other universities because it is the only degree that is
fully integrated with a liberal arts program.
The University has received overwhelming support for
the program, and administrators believe that there are a variety of reasons
for implementing it. First, it provides an internal opportunity for students
and professors to engage in discussion-driven seminars, thus providing
students with a more intimate learning setting. Second, backing for the
program grew from the increasing number of strong candidates who were
attracted to other competitive institutions with Honors business degrees,
such as Boston College and Lehigh University. Furthermore, it is a stated
goal within the strategic plan of the College of C&F to offer an Honors
degree specifically from the College.
Plans for the new Honors program began with former
Dean Thomas Monahan and are a result of extensive planning and development
with the full participation of all parties. “Faculty was an integral part of
the planning” said Dr. Goff, director of the current Arts & Sciences Honors
program, “and they worked hard to ensure that the program would be mutually
beneficial for both students and professors.” The goals of the business
Honors program are to attract the best and brightest high school students in
the country to the College of C&F and bring more positive recognition to the
undergraduate program, thus improving the ranking of the business school.
Also, the prestige of the program will increase internship and job
opportunities for students, as well as enhance chances of acceptance for
students at elite graduate schools.
The academic requirements for admission into the C&F
Honors program are similar to the current requirements of the A&S Honors
program. Incoming freshmen with a gpa of 3.7 or higher will receive an
invitation to participate in the program, and current Villanova students may
apply at any time. The requirements for completion are similar to the A&S
Honors program as well; once enrolled, students must complete a total of 12
Honors seminars, six of which must be C&F Honors courses. This allows
students the freedom to take liberal arts Honors courses to complete the
Honors requirements if they so desire. In addition, students must complete a
two semester senior thesis seminar. C&F students are already required to
take a capstone method seminar, so the Honors senior thesis project will
further build upon the knowledge from that course. For the spring semester
thesis course, students have two options from which to choose: they can
either participate in a group learning project, or conduct an individual
research project. In both instances, the fall seminar course will serve to
prepare students for the spring senior thesis project.
The C&F
senior thesis project resembles that of the A&S Honors senior thesis
project, and senior projects from both Colleges will be presented at the
same research conference. In addition, students enrolled in both programs
may find themselves taking Honors courses together, and the current Honors
program will continue to permit students from all majors in all Colleges to
participate in its Honors concentration program. When asked about how the
logistics of the new program will change the University’s current
curriculum, Goff explained, “There will be no net effect on the current
Honors program.” It is expected that the number of students enrolled in the
Honors concentration will remain the same, and only more Honors business
courses will be required to complete the major. In addition, only existing
full time faculty will teach the new Honors seminars, so new professors will
not be required. Each academic department will offer at least one upper
level Honors course per academic year. Administration for the new program
will be provide by the director of the University Honors program in
conjunction with the C&F chairs and the C&F dean’s office, and advising will
be provided by the director of the University Honors program as well as C&F
faculty. |
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