Wichita State University

Honors College Charter

Fall 2014

Revised by the Honors College Student Council, December 1, 2014

Approved by the Honors Faculty Council December 2, 2014

Preamble

We, the students and faculty who value the life of the mind, the execution of good work for its own sake, and the common threads uniting every discipline; who share a passion for rigor over ease, for creativity over uniformity, for debate over compliance, for inquiry over recitation, for knowledge over ignorance, for wisdom over conceit; and who aspire to enlivened minds, to connected understanding, to professional collegiality, to innovative collaboration, to inspired action, to distinguished service, to enriched lives, and to self-determination; do hereby establish an Honors College at Wichita State University.

I. Nature of the Honors College

  1. The Honors College shall dedicate itself to the following pursuits:
    1. Developing a sense of community and common identity among its members;
    2. Cultivating an intellectual ethic among its members, including:
      1. A contribution to the knowledge in one’s chosen discipline;
      2. A value of and interest in the knowledge in other disciplines;
      3. A mastery of cognitive, transferable, and practical skills;
      4. A commitment to curiosity and lifelong learning.
    3. Cultivating a professional ethic among its members, including:
      1. A passionate pursuit of long-term goals;
      2. A high degree of personal integrity and ethical conduct;
      3. A value of respectful, productive working relationships;
      4. A sense of common purpose and meaning.
    4. Cultivating an innovative ethic among its members, including:
      1. A creative approach to solving problems;
      2. A capacity for identifying unaddressed challenges and needs;
      3. A willingness to accept risk and ambiguity in proposing solutions;
      4. A facility with borrowing from several disciplines and identifying connections between them to find interdisciplinary solutions.
    5. Cultivating a transformational ethic among its members, including:
      1. An urge to make a positive impact on the community and in the world;
      2. An open-minded embrace of diversity in backgrounds, values, and perspectives;
      3. A marriage of deliberation and decision in taking action;
      4. An understanding of the importance of inspiring others.

  2. The Honors College shall achieve these pursuits through the following activities:
    1. Formal academic curriculum, including:
      1. Discipline-specific and interdisciplinary courses that fulfill general education and departmental requirements;
      2. Experiential learning and research opportunities for academic credit;
      3. A cohesive structure into which these can be combined to earn an Honors transcript distinction;
      4. A cohesive structure into which these can be further combined to earn an Honors minor;
      5. A cohesive structure into which these can be further combined to earn an Honors Baccalaureate degree.
    2. Academic advising and mentorship, including:
      1. Supporting cognitive, emotional, creative and social development;
      2. Engaging students in degree planning, course scheduling, and academic goal-setting;
      3. Supporting undergraduate student research for students and faculty in all academic colleges;
      4. Coordinating applications for nationally recognized scholarships and fellowships for students in all academic colleges;
      5. Preparing Honors students for postgraduate studies and careers.
    3. Co-curricular and extracurricular programming to enrich the student experience, including:
      1. A variety of lectures, workshops, colloquia, etc. that broaden intellectual life;
      2. A variety of service, leadership, and enrichment opportunities that encourage civic engagement;
      3. A variety of engaging social and leisure programming that develop personal relationships and individual passions and interests.
    4. Ensuring the persistence and continuity of the Honors College through collaboration with other University departments and offices to recruit and retain Honors students, including but not limited to:

      1. Direct recruitment of Honors-eligible high school, community college, and Wichita State students through email and print mail;

      2. Regular participation in recruitment events organized by the Office of Admissions for high-achieving students;

      3. Collaboration with the Office of Housing and Residence Life to create a successful living-learning community;

      4. Collaboration with other academic colleges and the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships.

    5. Ensuring the persistence and continuity of the Honors College through collaboration with other academic colleges to recruit and retain faculty from departments across campus to teach Honors courses and serve as faculty mentors for Honors students.

II. University Honors College Governance

  1. Powers: Subject to the provisions of this Charter, primary governing power is vested in the University Honors College Council, composed of faculty and students, as the College By-laws may designate.
  2. By-laws: The University Honors College Council shall enact By-laws for the governing of the Honors College, in accordance with this Charter.