Strategies to Grow Your Honors Program or College

Strategies to Grow Your Honors Program or College

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Learn how to use your program’s or college’s assets to grow revenue, boost recruitment, and enhance reputation.

A successful Honors College or Program can enhance an institution’s reputation and visibility, represent an alternative and viable revenue stream, and offer different pathways and opportunities for students. In a landscape where every institution is competing for every student, it’s essential to overcome the visibility and recruitment challenges facing many Honors Colleges and Programs to ultimately help them grow. This workshop will help you answer the following questions:

  • What are your program’s differentiating strengths and are these effectively communicated to prospective students?
  • Who are your strategic partners on- and off-campus, and how can you better collaborate with them?
  • How can you boost your enrollment efforts?
  • How can you collaborate with institutional advancement to increase fundraising efforts for your specific College or Program?

Join us for this unique experience and learn from the experts from both 4-year and 2-year institutions. You will learn and work alongside your peers, those who are engaged in the same work and who face the same challenges. During this two-day workshop, you’ll discover strategies for growing your Honors College’s or Program’s revenue, boosting recruitment, and enhancing the reputation and value of your Honors College or Program.

 

Pre-Conference Workshop: Transitioning from an Honors Program to an Honors College

Designed for those who are looking to elevate their Honors Program, this interactive workshop will focus on how transitioning from an Honors Program to Honors College can be beneficial to your students and institution. We will develop a clear set of priorities and actions for successfully making this transition—focusing on the importance of curriculum, staffing, budgets, and administrative organization.

 

Who Should Attend

We strongly encourage teams of deans, program directors, and other senior academic leadership to attend this event, particularly leaders who work within an Honors College or Program. This conference applies to both 4-year and 2-year institutions trying to grow their Honors College or Program.

 

Bring Your Team

We strongly encourage teams of deans, program directors, and other senior academic leadership to attend this event, particularly leaders who work within an Honors College or Program.

“This conference was well-organized, efficient, informative and relevant--definitely time well-spent.”

- Barbara McMillin, President, Blue Mountain College

“This conference met all my expectations and provided the tools for me to create change at my own institution.”

- Sharon Enzor, Provost, Blue Mountain College

“After attending this conference, I have a much better understanding of the value of an honors program and how I can use it to align with my university's goals.”

- Julie Wiester, Honors Program Director, Saint Xavier University

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Agenda

Day One

 

Pre-Conference Workshop: Considerations Before Transitioning from an Honors Program to an Honors College

Your registration for the pre-conference workshop includes access to the session below and materials, as well as breakfast and lunch on Monday.

8:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

 

Pre-Conference Workshop: Considerations Before Transitioning from an Honors Program to an Honors College

This interactive workshop will focus on why transitioning from an Honors Program to Honors College can be beneficial to your students and institution. We will develop a clear set of priorities and actions for successfully making this transition—focusing on the importance of curriculum, staffing, budgets, and administrative organization.

 


Main Conference

Your registration fee includes full access to all conference sessions and materials, access to the networking reception on Monday, breakfast and lunch on Tuesday, as well as refreshments and snacks throughout the conference.

12:30 p.m. - 6:15 p.m.

 

Setting the Stage for Enhancing Honors

What is the current state of Honors and where are we going in the future? This introductory session will provide context for the preceding sessions, emphasizing data, and justifying additional investment in your program or college. We will also set the stage for integrating with colleagues and units on your home campus.

 


 

Strengths Analysis and Goal Setting

Knowing your college or program’s strengths and weaknesses and setting goals for growth will help you and your team understand where you are and where you want to go. During this interactive session, you will conduct a SWOT analysis and create an action plan for growth that will lend a global view of what your Honors program or college has to offer.

 


 

Measuring ROI and Justifying the Value of Honors

We will discuss how we can use metrics to increase investment and institutional aid for your Honors College or Program. We will also explore how to use metrics and data to justify the value of Honors.

 


 

Networking Reception

This informal reception is your chance to decompress, have some refreshments on us, and expand your network of connections. Our programs are intentionally designed for smaller groups, so this is a great time to catch-up with attendees and speakers whom you may not have connected with yet.

 


Day Two

8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Building On-Campus Partnerships

Successful Honors Programs and Colleges creatively collaborate with a wide range of campus stakeholders, including individual faculty and staff, academic departments and colleges, admissions, financial aid, and housing. We will discuss the importance of building partnerships and ways to strategically create support with key campus constituencies.

 


 

 

Partnering Off-Campus

It is important to build relationships with off-campus partners just as much as on-campus. We will explore how to connect with families, not just scholars, and to work with high school partners as well as community partners.

 


 

Enrollment Management and Admissions

More and more universities are successfully creating, expanding, and refining honors programs and colleges, yet they are not getting the level of attention from potential applicants to make them as successful as possible. We will look at how to enhance your visibility and build a better brand, emphasizing marketing strategies and peer-to-peer recruiting.

 


 

Fundraising for Honors

We will explore different strategies to share the vision of your program or college in order to gain financial support. Learn how to work closely with the advancement office, keeping funding model specifics in mind.

 


 

Tying it Together and Planning Ahead

We have learned a great deal the past two days. Drawing upon our SWOT analysis and what we have learned, we will begin to craft next steps, staying true to our institutions throughout the process.

Speakers

Craig Cobane-1

Craig T. Cobane

Executive Director of Mahurin Honors College
Western Kentucky University

As Executive Director, Cobane grew the College from several hundred to over 1,300 scholars. He created the Office of Scholar Development, which assist students in applying for nationally competitive awards. WKU was recognized as a “Top Fulbright Producing” university, among master’s comprehensive institutions, five out of the last six years.

Read Craig's full bio here.

King_Kathleen_19 - professional headshot

Kathleen King

Honors Director, Dr. Lydia R. Daniel Honors Program, Hillsborough Community College

Kathleen has been a part of honors education for more than 16 years and has served as Honors Director at Hillsborough Community College for 5 years. She has served on the National Collegiate Honors Council Board of Directors two separate terms, is an NCHC Fellow, and is currently a member of the NCHC Finance Committee, co-chair of the NCHC Advocacy Committee, and an NCHC Program Reviewer.

Read Kathleen's full bio here.

Clay Motley Headshot

Clay Motley

Director of Honors College and Associate Professor of English
Florida Gulf Coast University

Clay Motley has led the transition of FGCU’s Honors Program to an Honors College. Prior to his arrival at FGCU, he served as the Associate Director of the Honors College at Western Kentucky University, where he also helped transition its Honors Program to an Honors College.

Read Clay's full bio here.

All-Inclusive Members Get

$250 OFF!*

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Questions About the Event?

Egstad-Whitney

Whitney Egstad
Program Manager, Academic Impressions

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*All-inclusive members receive $250 off of conference registrations (in addition to the early bird discount if applicable). Academic Affairs, Advancement/Alumni Relations, Business Office, Enrollment Management, Student Affairs, and Leadership members will continue to receive $100 off conference registrations. Upgrade your membership to qualify for a higher discount. Please note this discount is not applicable on pre- or post-conference workshops or conference binders.