October 2006

Honors programs challenge students

Freshman Phillip Lovasik is enrolled in the new Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Honors Program. (Tony Novelozo/Axiom Photo)

Bayard Nielsen is a fourth-year psychology major from San Jose. And his creativity and hard work are already helping to draw more of his fellow students to a major performing arts center in Northern California.

Through an honors program at UC Davis, he worked with the Robert and Margrit Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts on campus to develop additional advertising through campus venues and Facebook, a popular online networking site.

Hundreds of high-achieving students like Nielsen are enrolled in more rigorous studies through one of three programs under the umbrella of the new University Honors Program. In addition to the Davis Honors Challenge, it includes the Integrated Studies (IS) Honors Program, and the new Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Honors Program.

"Being in an honors program is definitely more work," Nielsen says. "But there are many more opportunities to join discussion groups, conduct presentations and work closely with professors."

Davis Honors Challenge

When Nielsen attended freshman orientation at UC Davis a few years ago, he was instantly attracted to the Davis Honors Challenge, which offers highly motivated students experiences beyond the traditional classroom, and today, he co-teaches its service learning program. He says his involvement has provided valuable skills for graduate school and a future career in teaching.

The challenge program is the largest of the three honors programs. Since it started a decade ago, more than 2,400 students have participated in the program, which takes a non-traditional, interdisciplinary approach to honors studies to prepare students for professional life after graduation.

"DHC helps students develop skills they may not get in a regular class," says Jessica Utts, director of the program and a statistics professor. "Students learn leadership, collaboration, teamwork and how to solve real-world problems."

More than 250 first-year students have been accepted into the program this fall and total enrollment is more than 600. Students in all fields are invited to apply, and they must enter the program by the fall of their second year. Participants who meet the requirement for a 3.25 grade point average are encouraged to stay involved.

Course requirements vary by year, but at the core of the first two years are honors seminars offered in winter and spring quarters. A maximum of 20 students work in teams, gaining experience with group dynamics and decision-making as they work to solve a contemporary problem. Each group presents its results to fellow students at the end of the quarter.

Projects have included organizing sing-a-longs at local convalescent hospitals, creating a mentoring program at Martin Luther King High School in Davis and conducting presentations on nutrition at local schools.

The honors programs offer the advantages of small classes and closer interaction with professors, priority registration and extended library privileges. Students also have access to special advisers for all coursework and a special computer lab.

Integrated Studies

Additionally, students in the Integrated Studies (IS) Honors Program, an invitational program for first-year students, live together in one residence hall.

Hallmarks of the program include a focus on helping students integrate knowledge gained from science and engineering, arts and humanities, and social sciences; and fostering student participation in research.

Jim Shackelford, director of Integrated Studies and a professor of chemical engineering and materials science, says the benefits of this learning and living community are many. "Students have the advantages of a small college within the context of a major research university," he said. "More important, the supportive community enhances the academic success of these high-achieving students and builds friendships that continue throughout the students' years at UCD and beyond."

This year, the large freshman class swelled the number of participants by 50 percent to 170. Shackleford expects the program to return to about 115 next year.

New program in engineering

New to the campus this year is the Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Honors Program. The four-year program is specifically designed to attract high-achieving students to the College of Engineering and provide them with a more challenging experience and closer interaction with faculty members.

Brad Horton, undergraduate programs adviser for the chemical engineering and materials science department, says 12 freshmen have been invited into the program; all but one hold Regents Scholarships, the most prestigious scholarship on the UC Davis campus.

Students in this program can be in the challenge program or Integrated Studies, Horton says. The program requires a grade point average of 3.5 or higher.

While the program is starting as an invitation-only program, Horton says the department will be considering an application process for continuing students.