Honors Program 2019 Report

Thank you so much to everyone for making Honors such a great place to live, play, and learn! We have come along way in the past three years and this report will summarize some of those key accomplishments of the Program last year and how we ended up at the end of the year. Be warned there will be a lot of exclamation points in here.

Best,

Professors Ozymy and Evans

150 Students

77% Female

48% Minority (40% Hispanic)

29% from the Coastal Bend

Average TAMU-CC GPA (3.65)

Average ACT/SAT (26/1,200)

Common Majors: Biomedical Sciences, Nursing, and Biology (15% each)

Curriculum is 18 hours (6 seminars + 12 elective)

Honors has grown tremendously, but thoughtfully over the past three years. In 2016 we only had about 30-40 students in good standing in the Program and this grew to 150. We brought in our largest freshmen class ever (81 students) for the 2019-20 academic year. We are expecting 200+ students in fall. That would represent over 6 fold increase since fall 2016 and we raised academic standards as well!

Honors retained over 80% of its first-year students this year. This was up from only 50% the following year. We hope, even with the current pandemic, we can surpass this number in 2020 and retain over 90% of our students.

We brought in our third freshmen class that is 100% scholarship funded. We were able to fund all sophomores, juniors, and seniors that applied for scholarships and were in good standing for the third year in a row. We provided funds for conference travel for all that applied, were able to offer scholarships for all of our study abroad students, and we saw large increases in Rec Sports participation as we increased our ability to fund all outdoor trips, service functions, and alternative breaks. In 2019 Honors students collectively held 40 endowed scholarships at the university, which means we hold more than any other program on campus!

Opened Fall 2019 with 42 residents and an Honors student serving as Resident Advisor. Students help to design the common spaces and we stocked the kitchens with supplies students might need. The dorm represents the collective effort of past directors and great staff and student support. The Honors Residence Hall was the first living learning community on the TAMU-CC campus!

We implemented the second year of our Public Service Program. Service has arguably become one of the defining features of Honors at TAMU-CC. We volunteered in 40 service events throughout the year that were all student-driven and directed (well Ozymy and Evans helped, but all of you made it happen). This makes us #1 at the university in public service by a good margin!

We piloted a peer mentor program in the HONR 1101 – Campus Leadership Seminar. Four Upper-level students served as mentors. They led the recitation sections with approximately 20 students in each section. They were available in the Honors Lounge for “mentor hours” and participated in numerous service events alongside first-semester students. Based on student feedback, we will expand the program next fall.

In order to make academic advisors more aware of our Program, we sent each advising unit a care package and a thank you card signed by their students who are in Honors. In addition, we provided catering for the All Advisor Meeting in October and Michelle gave a short presentation and handed out information sheets and business cards. The immediate result was an increase in referrals from the advising units and a much better understanding of Honors education amongst advising units.

Honors Study Abroad

Honors in Mexico – (Maymester 2019) Two faculty led 12 students on a 12-day trip to Mexico City, San Miguel de Allende and Guanajuato City.

CONHS in Costa Rica – (Maymester 2019) Honors funded participation in the Community Nursing Practicum in Costa Rica for three Honors students.

Scotland Study Abroad – (Summer II) Honors subsidized costs for one Honors student on the TAMUCC Study Abroad.

Outdoor Adventure

Honors funded 35 participants on 9 different Outdoor Adventure trips.

Conference Travel

Honors supported 25 students and faculty to attend conferences, workshops, and other academic events.

Fabiola Cedillo and Hanna Alcott: Society for Human Resource Management 2019 Annual Conference in Las Vegas, NV.

Minh Pham: Regional Leadership Development Conference in San Antonio, TX.

Heather Gonzales and Dr. Heather DeGrande: Opiod and Pain Management Conference in the Coastal Bend.

Taelor Thomas and Dr. Sherdeana Owens: Texas Public Health Association Conference in San Antonio, TX.

Elizabeth Grimes: TAMU-CC Poster Presentation for Undergraduate Research Day at the Texas State Capitol in Austin, TX.

Shreya Kumar and Dr. Jeff Turner: American Society for Microbiology Conference in San Antonio, TX

Elsy Hernandez, Samual Guevarra, and Dr. Luis Garcia Carillo: Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio

Souhad Backnak: Pre-admission Dental School Interview Trip to Houston, TX.

Professor Michelle Evans: National Conference on Undergraduate Research in Atlanta, Georgia.

Carissa Pinon and Dr. Kirk Cammarata: Gulf Estuarine Research Society Conference in Galveston, TX.

Zeina Nader and Erin Stocker: American Medical Student Association Premed Fest in Tampa, FL.

Carissa Pinon and Dr. Kirk Cammarata: Lower Laguna Madre Field Research near Mexican border.

Alexi Olivo, Alexis Pitcock, Helen Gonzales, and Professor Leigh Shaver: Culture Inclusion Institute Conference: Inclusive Healthcare in Communities, Hospitals, and Clinics in San Antonio, TX.