The University of Toledo (Ohio) honors program, with a dedicated space for honors, a separate interdisciplinary curriculum, and the opportunity to do research, assists this open admissions institution to attract and retain academically talented students. A dramatic increase in honors enrollments in the last decade has provided both opportunities…

The Honors College at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County has an interdisciplinary curriculum rich in the liberal arts, serves a diverse student population, and frequently takes advantage of the cultural resources of the Baltimore metropolitan area. The college attempts to make intellectual exercise for its own sake available to as wide…

The College Park Scholars Program at the University of Maryland is a learning community, based on the model of a residential college, that was designed to attract and retain academically talented undergraduates. Three experiential learning components developed by faculty for the curriculum are colloquia, service learning units, and discovery…

Ways in which a college or university can support and enhance service learning pedagogy are explored, including practical strategies for curriculum design, faculty development, and administrative support. Illustrations are drawn from Loyola College of Maryland, whose program has five categories of initiative: a service-leadership track, a…

Describes the origins, design, and students of the honors program at the University of California at Irvine. Over half the honors program students are foreign born and over half use English as a second language. The program encourages development of leadership skills and provides a supportive academic community within a growing research university…

A highly individualized admissions process allows Essex Community College (Maryland) to identify talented and motivated students whose prior academic work might make them ineligible for honors at other institutions. The curriculum is designed around innovative honors sections of regular courses that challenge students intellectually and help…

Urban and metropolitan college students often experience a traditionally organized curriculum as a series of disconnected course requirements. Portland State University (Oregon) has found that integrating attention to community-building as a central element of the core curriculum strengthened student and faculty affiliations and improved…