UF Honors Program Experiences Substantial Growth
4,150% —that is the percentage of growth the University of Findlay has seen in its Honors Program over the past two years. With four enrolled students from 2018 to 2021 to today’s 170 students, UF’s Honors Program has been reborn.
“It was disheartening to know that the program was not meeting its potential for the students,” said Abby Kalkstein, Ph.D., co-director of the Honors Program. After working with other University offices and individuals, Kalkstein and her fellow Co-Director, Justin Rheubert, M.Sc., were able to increase enrollment numbers. “Seeing the numbers increase (and continue to increase) is very exciting for us and the University as a whole,” said Rheubert.
The University’s Honors Program is an opportunity for high-achieving students to partake in additional opportunities, events, experiences, and courses. The goal is to help students gain the knowledge and experience needed to excel in their chosen field and beyond. The program is reserved for students entering college with a high school grade point average of 3.8 and requires students to maintain at least a 3.5 overall GPA while in the program.
“We know that students at the University of Findlay possess extraordinary capabilities and we want to provide a foundation for them to make positive change and extreme progress in fields they are passionate about,” Rheubert said. “Simultaneously, we want these students to explore and step outside their comfort zone to really experience the liberal arts education.”
To attract more participants, Kalkstein and Rheubert worked to restructure the program. Those in the Honors Program can now live in special housing with other Honors students, get priority registration of classes, have access to courses that other students do not, and they are granted access to the Honors room in the library. Honors students are also offered the chance to take part in trips to parks and museums, invited to on-campus events, and receive full funding to complete their Honors thesis work.
As part of the overhaul of the program, Kalkstein and Rheubert traveled to the National Collegiate Honors Council Conference (NCHC) in Chicago earlier this month. There, they were able to network with fellow Honors Program students, learn more about what an Honors education looks like through workshops and sessions, and voice their thoughts on a national scale. Kalkstein and Rheubert already have plans to take students to next year’s conference in Kansas City.
“I think the full impact of the Honors Program on campus has yet to be seen and this is a very exciting time to watch the program continue to grow,” said Rheubert.
Learn more about UF’s Honors Program at Findlay.edu/honors.
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