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The Honors College
Oak View Hall, Room 210
509 Meadow Brook Road
Rochester ,
MI
48309-4452
(location map)
(248) 370-4450
Fax: (248) 370-4479
hc@oakland.edu
Faculty and Staff
The Honors College dean and course committee selects from the full range of Oakland’s faculty, which means you can access the expertise of an entire comprehensive doctoral/research university. Our classes are small, personal and focused on success. You will have Honors College friends and colleagues in every major, every department, and in every discipline. As your faculty, staff and advisers, we support personal excellence.
| Name and position | Contact Information | |
|---|---|---|
 | Dr. Graeme Harper, Dean About Dean Harper | (248) 370-4450 |
 | Anne Jackson, Assistant Dean | (248)-370-4450 |
 | Sheri Rourke, Executive Secretary | (248) 370-4443 |
 | Karen Conn, Administrative Assistant | (248) 370-4419 |
 | Jennifer Buck, Office Assistant (Main Office) | (248) 370-4450 |
 | Susan Lynne Beckwith, Faculty Fellow | beckwit2@oakland.edu |
 | Jenna Przeslawski, Academic Advisor | |
 | Alanna Courtright, Graduate Assistant | |
 | Elizabeth Chlebek, Advising Graduate Assistant | echlebek@oakland.edu |
 | Stacia James, Student Office Worker | (248) 370-4450 |
The council meets every other month for updates on Honors College events and programs, to approve senior thesis proposals and conduct Honors College business.
| Council Faculty Members | |
| Amy Banes-Berceli | Department of Biological Sciences Assistant Professor |
| Eddie Cheng | Department of Mathematics and Statistics Distinguished Professor |
| Matthew Fails | Department of Political Science Associate Professor, Political Science |
| Darrin Hanna | Department of Engineering & Computer Science Associate Professor of Engineering, Engineering & Computer Science |
| David Kidger | Department of Music Associate Professor of Musicology |
| Ji-Eun Lee | School of Education and Human Services Associate Professor, Teacher Development and Educational Studies |
| Sanela Martic | Department of Chemistry Assistant Professor, Chemistry |
| Fritz McDonald | Department of Philosophy Associate Professor, Philosophy |
| Thomas Raffel | Department of Biological Sciences Assistant Professor, Biological Studies |
| Brad Roth | Department of Physics Professor, Physics |
| Kathleen Spencer | School of Nursing Assistant Professor, Nursing |
| Christopher Wilson | School of Health Sciences Assistant Professor, Physical Therarpy |
| Susan Wood | Department of Art and Art History Professor, Art History |
| Virgil Zeigler-Hill | Department of Psychology Associate Professor and Director of Graduate Training |
SUBMIT A COURSE PROPOSAL TO TEACH FOR THE HC
The Honors College invites proposals for wonderful, innovative, engaging courses to be taught in the Summer 2024, Fall 2024 and Winter 2025 semesters. Let your imaginations run wild!
In this instance, we seek courses in each general education category.
Prior to the submission of a Course Proposal, The Faculty Teaching Agreement (eform) must be completed by the Faculty and then routed to their Department Chair who then routes to their Department Dean, who then routes to hceforms@oakland.edu. *This eform is in the Banner forms menu: https://www.oakland.edu/uts/efficient-processesforms/forms/
Once Faculty has been cleared to teach for The Honors College - they then complete The Course Proposal (google form-links below) *Before completing, see "Course Development & Proposal Rubric" below.
Proposal Deadlines:
October 17th - Summer 2024 Courses: SUMMER Course Proposal Form
November 17th - Fall 2024 and Winter 2025 Courses: FALL/WINTER Course Proposal Form
The Honors College
Course Development – Rubric for Course Proposals
Course Description
A short outline of the course, including its purpose and why students will enjoy it. If the course includes any (a) research component and/or (b) service component that would be a great thing to include in the description. If the course has one (or a small number of primary texts) these could be included in the course description. One tip is to have fun with the title, in the way students will have fun with the class ;-) and include any innovations, unique approaches to be taken, and any (short) background to the course that gives the proposal context. Maximum 250 words.
Aims and Objectives
Include a short outline of the Aims (why the course is being proposed: i.e., the overall goals of the course) and the Objectives (how the course will reach those goals: the "how it is going to happen"; description of the course). The Aims and Objectives section simply give the Course Selection Committee a chance to see the distinctiveness of the course. 200 words is ample.
Learning Outcomes
What is the knowledge students will gain from the course? This usually is easiest for folks on the Committee to grasp if there is a main or overarching learning aim, that is stated, and then any other aims are related to it, or embedded in it. 100 words is ample.
Bibliography / Other Sources
A brief list of some of the books or other materials that are likely to be used during the course. This does not have to be a complete list at the proposal stage - merely indicative. 2-5 items would be typical.
General Education Categories
To make it less burdensome for those proposing courses to decide on a General Education category for their course, from 2023 The Honors College Course Selection Committee will use proposal descriptions and the content of proposals to confirm a Gen
Ed category. On occasion, a course may be selected to be offered in more than one category. For descriptive purposes, The Honors College uses the published OU's General Education categories, and other Gen Ed course attributes widely available on OU's website and in the Course Catalog under General Education Requirements.
In the late 1950s when the university was being established, and its first curriculum was being created, a group of honors college students from the nation's first honors college - The Honors College Group, as it was called - was asked by the administration to make their recommendations on the Oakland University curriculum and to express their thoughts on how best to support high-performing students. The then Oakland Chancellor Durward "Woody" Varner later wrote to each of the group to thank them for their contribution to the character and direction of Oakland University.
As those early Oakland administrators pointed out, supporting educational excellence is not about elitism, not about rewarding those who hold a privileged position. Rather, it is about supporting those who strive to be the best they can be, who follow their aspirations with determination and with application.
"Honors education", Grey C. Austin points out in a book chapter entitled "Orientation to Honors Education", refers to "the total means by which a college or university seeks to meet the educational needs of its ablest and most highly motivated students" (Austin: 5).
AUSTIN, GREY C. 1986. "Orientation to Honors Education." In Fostering Academic Excellence Through Honors Programs, ed. Kenneth E. Eble. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Many faculty at Oakland University have supported honors education in many ways and over many years.
In recognition of faculty who have made regular and important contributions to honors education, Oakland University has created the Honors Institute. The Institute celebrates those faculty who have made a sustained and lasting contribution to honors education. New members are celebrated each year.
| Christopher Apap Colleen Arnett Nicole Asmussen Claude Ballairgeon Amy Banes-Berceli Maria Beam Susan Beckwith Benjamin Bennett-Carpenter Peter Bertocci Dikka Berven Courtney Brannon Donoghue Gottfried Brieger Maria Bryant Doug Carr Graham Cassano Rebecca Cheezum Eddie Cheng Dan Clark Chris Clason Natalie Cole Karen Conn Brian Connery Brian Dean Thomas Discenna Mark Doman Ada Chun Dong Bill Edwards Randall Engle Alan Epstein Susan E. Evans Susan J.Evans Joanne Lipson Freed David Garfinkle Thomas Giberson Gregory Giberson Holly Gilbert Stacey Hahn Greg Hickman Alice Horning Jeff Insko Jennifer Janes Amy Johnson Angela Kaiser David Kidger Chris Kobus Paul Kubicek | Ji-Eun Lee Todd Leibert Yan Li Larry Lilliston Barbara Mabee Sarah Maher Kieran Mathieson Linda McCloskey Fritz McDonald Erin Meyers Jean Ann Miller Pamela Mitzelfeld Seigo Nakao James Naus Mark Navin Barbara Oakley Maria Paino Jessica Payette Sandra Pelfrey Aldona Pobustky Sandy Powell Ingrid Rieger Helena Riha Brad Roth Darrell Schmidt Linda Schweitzer Gary Shepherd D. Shepherd B. Shepherd Karen Sheridan Liz Shesko Cynthia Sifonis Craig Smith Richard Stamps Sally Tardella David Tindall Terri Towner Stephanie Vallie Robert Van Til Donna Voronovich Mary Wermuth Susan Wood Stephen Wright Janusz Wrobel Virgil Ziegler-Hill |