Honors College at VCU

Plans are under way for VCU’s Honors College.

“What we hope to do with Monroe Park Campus II, the expansion and new facility, is to look at that as an Honors College experience,” said Henry Rhone, vice provost for student affairs and enrollment services.

Although it will include other students, Rhone said the expansion will focus on the Honors College along with business and engineering.

“It’s an expensive building project,” he said, “and when you want to develop something, you want to make sure you’ve got a good idea. We think we’re at that point in time.”

Timothy Hulsey, director of the Honors Program, said he would like to see a mixture of upper-division and lower-division housing for honors students.

“Living in proximity helps interaction,” Hulsey said. “What we’re really looking to do is build a community.”

The Honors College will offer interdisciplinary courses and involve as many majors as possible.

“I want to have honors courses across the curriculum,” he said, adding that he wants to see upper-division honors courses available for a variety of majors.

Hulsey said he also would like to have more courses available for students and fewer adjuncts to teach them.

Anne Chandler, associate director of the Honors Program, said the plan involves looking into the specific needs of honors students and creating courses to fulfill those needs.

“I hope we will be able to move more into interdisciplinary offerings,” Chandler said. “I’d like to (see us) offering an opportunity for faculty to teach in new ways.”

The vice provost for student affairs said he thinks special courses within the Honors College will have much to offer honors students.

“I see it more around not seminars necessarily,” Rhone said, “but something that allows flexibility like special topics courses that are in the curriculum that allow a professor to develop an area study.”

Hulsey remains confident and optimistic for the future of the Honors College.

“Students don’t even know what’s coming,” he said.