National Collegiate Honors Council
Encyclopedia
The National Collegiate Honors Council (NCHC) is the United States
non-profit professional association of undergraduate honors programs, college
s, directors, deans, faculty, staff, and students
. NCHC has more than 700 members across all fifty states and provides support for institutions and individuals to develop, implement, and expand honors education through Curriculum
development, program assessment, teaching models, national and international study opportunities , internships, and independent research.
and Social responsibility
in preparing individuals for an increasingly complex world. These beliefs and values are reinforced among member institutions through the collegiality and shared purpose of NCHC.
, but the Soviet launch of Sputnik in 1956 brought new attention to honors programs. In 1957, the Inter-University Committee on the Superior Student (ICSS) was formed as a clearinghouse for information on honors activities. ICSS received funds from the Carnegie Corporation, the National Science Foundation
, and the U.S. Office of Education to help establish honors programs at colleges and universities across the United States. In 1965, ICSS disbanded when its external funding expired.
A number of people felt a continued need for a professional association of honors educators who would share ideas and provide a strong national voice for excellence in higher education. As a result, in 1966, the National Collegiate Honors Council was formed. NCHC was established as and continues to serve as a resource center and network for those involved in honors education.
NCHC’s national office and professional staff, managed by Ms. Cynthia M. Hill, Executive Director, is located on the campus of the University of Nebraska at Lincoln.
Faculty, staff, and students interested in honors education have access to a variety of resource and scholarly materials published by the organization. NCHC publishes a monograph series and two refereed journals. The Journal of the National College Honors Council (JNCHC) publishes scholarly articles on honors education. Honors in Practice (HIP) features articles on the nuts-and-bolts operations and activities of honors programs and innovative practices in honors teaching and programming. The monograph series includes a variety of handbooks and texts addressing specific aspects of honors learning, teaching, and administration.
Annual Conference
Each fall, NCHC holds its annual conference in a major city in the United States. Honors educators and students gather for a rich variety of workshops and presentations and for the opportunity to interact and exchange ideas with others involved in honors. Each conference also features master classes in the arts, plenary speakers, and City as Text , an experiential-learning
exploration of the host city.
Workshops
NCHC offers a variety of professional development workshops for faculty and administrators. Each fall, workshops on Beginning in Honors and Developing in Honors are held in conjunction with the NCHC conference. Every other year, NCHC also hosts an intensive summer workshop on assessment and evaluation.
Recommended Site Visitors
NCHC maintains up-to-date listings of faculty and administrators willing to provide consulting services for and external reviews of honors programs and colleges. All site visitors have completed an NCHC Faculty Institute in assessment and evaluation.
Honors Semesters
Honors Semesters are designed to immerse highly motivated students in field studies, research, internships, and seminars at a host site. Honors Semester locations have been offered in such diverse settings as Washington, D.C., the Grand Canyon
, Morocco
, Greece
, and the United Nations
headquarters.
Portz Scholars Fund
Named for one of the first presidents of NCHC, the Portz Scholars Fund annually recognizes three outstanding undergraduate honors papers to be featured at the national conference. The fund also annually recognizes honors programs and colleges for their leadership in enhancing honors programming for students.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
non-profit professional association of undergraduate honors programs, college
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
s, directors, deans, faculty, staff, and students
Honors student
An honors student is a person recognized for achieving high grades or high marks in their course work.Honors students may refer to# Students recognized for their academic achievement on lists published periodically throughout the school year, known as honor rolls, varying from school to school, and...
. NCHC has more than 700 members across all fifty states and provides support for institutions and individuals to develop, implement, and expand honors education through Curriculum
Curriculum
See also Syllabus.In formal education, a curriculum is the set of courses, and their content, offered at a school or university. As an idea, curriculum stems from the Latin word for race course, referring to the course of deeds and experiences through which children grow to become mature adults...
development, program assessment, teaching models, national and international study opportunities , internships, and independent research.
Core Values
The National Collegiate Honors Council values an atmosphere that promotes academic opportunity and challenge for honors students and faculty. Within this intellectual environment, members of honors communities demonstrate integrity, respect, and excellence. Through the honors experience, participants realize enhanced personal, social, and intellectual development. NCHC recognizes the importance of Lifelong learningLifelong learning
Lifelong learning is the continuous building of skills and knowledge throughout the life of an individual. It occurs through experiences encountered in the course of a lifetime...
and Social responsibility
Social responsibility
Social responsibility is an ethical ideology or theory that an entity, be it an organization or individual, has an obligation to act to benefit society at large. Social responsibility is a duty every individual or organization has to perform so as to maintain a balance between the economy and the...
in preparing individuals for an increasingly complex world. These beliefs and values are reinforced among member institutions through the collegiality and shared purpose of NCHC.
History
Honors education originated at Oxford and Cambridge Universities in 1830 with the establishment of separate ‘pass’ and ‘honors’ degree designations. A variant on that program was later adopted at Harvard, followed by the first major efforts at creative reconstruction Honors education in the United States expanded in the 1920s, with the dominant focus on the liberal arts college, the departmental major, and juniors and seniors. By the late 1930s, over 100 honors programs existed in the United States. A lull in Honors education occurred during and after World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, but the Soviet launch of Sputnik in 1956 brought new attention to honors programs. In 1957, the Inter-University Committee on the Superior Student (ICSS) was formed as a clearinghouse for information on honors activities. ICSS received funds from the Carnegie Corporation, the National Science Foundation
National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation is a United States government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National Institutes of Health...
, and the U.S. Office of Education to help establish honors programs at colleges and universities across the United States. In 1965, ICSS disbanded when its external funding expired.
A number of people felt a continued need for a professional association of honors educators who would share ideas and provide a strong national voice for excellence in higher education. As a result, in 1966, the National Collegiate Honors Council was formed. NCHC was established as and continues to serve as a resource center and network for those involved in honors education.
Officers and governance
NCHC is governed by a 24-member Board of Directors: President, President-Elect, Vice-President, Immediate Past President, Secretary, Treasurer, and eighteen members at large elected by the membership, including six student members. The current president of NCHC is Dr. Hallie Savage, of Clarion University, who serves until October 24, 2008. The President-Elect is Dr. Lydia Lyons of Hillsborough Community College.NCHC’s national office and professional staff, managed by Ms. Cynthia M. Hill, Executive Director, is located on the campus of the University of Nebraska at Lincoln.
Activities
PublicationsFaculty, staff, and students interested in honors education have access to a variety of resource and scholarly materials published by the organization. NCHC publishes a monograph series and two refereed journals. The Journal of the National College Honors Council (JNCHC) publishes scholarly articles on honors education. Honors in Practice (HIP) features articles on the nuts-and-bolts operations and activities of honors programs and innovative practices in honors teaching and programming. The monograph series includes a variety of handbooks and texts addressing specific aspects of honors learning, teaching, and administration.
Annual Conference
Each fall, NCHC holds its annual conference in a major city in the United States. Honors educators and students gather for a rich variety of workshops and presentations and for the opportunity to interact and exchange ideas with others involved in honors. Each conference also features master classes in the arts, plenary speakers, and City as Text , an experiential-learning
Experiential education
Experiential education is a philosophy of education that describes the process that occurs between a teacher and student that infuses direct experience with the learning environment and content. The term is mistakenly used interchangeably with experiential learning...
exploration of the host city.
Workshops
NCHC offers a variety of professional development workshops for faculty and administrators. Each fall, workshops on Beginning in Honors and Developing in Honors are held in conjunction with the NCHC conference. Every other year, NCHC also hosts an intensive summer workshop on assessment and evaluation.
Recommended Site Visitors
NCHC maintains up-to-date listings of faculty and administrators willing to provide consulting services for and external reviews of honors programs and colleges. All site visitors have completed an NCHC Faculty Institute in assessment and evaluation.
Honors Semesters
Honors Semesters are designed to immerse highly motivated students in field studies, research, internships, and seminars at a host site. Honors Semester locations have been offered in such diverse settings as Washington, D.C., the Grand Canyon
Grand Canyon
The Grand Canyon is a steep-sided canyon carved by the Colorado River in the United States in the state of Arizona. It is largely contained within the Grand Canyon National Park, the 15th national park in the United States...
, Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, and the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
headquarters.
Portz Scholars Fund
Named for one of the first presidents of NCHC, the Portz Scholars Fund annually recognizes three outstanding undergraduate honors papers to be featured at the national conference. The fund also annually recognizes honors programs and colleges for their leadership in enhancing honors programming for students.