Honors at Atlantic Cape
The Honors Program is designed for students who excel academically and who want to work more intensely in a small class environment with honors faculty who are accomplished experts in their field. Honors courses do not require more work; the purpose of an Honors course is to offer high achieving students the opportunity to participate in engaging and creative learning environments that extend beyond those of the regular classroom. The Honors curriculum will consist of special sections of general education courses. No additional cost is associated with Honors courses. The Honors Program is a part of the Student Success initiative. Honors prepares students to transfer to competitive four-year colleges and universities. The benefits of the Honors Program are:
- Honors designation on transcript
- Small class size
- Honors faculty who are experts in their field
- Recognition by transfer to four-year institutions
- Advising by honors faculty
- Opportunity to enroll in Atlantic Cape's national honor societies, including Phi Theta Kappa and Sigma Kappa Delta
- Resume builders for scholarships, transfer and career
- Honors lounge
For More Information Contact:
Professor Stephanie Natale-Boianelli, Honors Coordinator
Are Honors courses right for me?
What are the requirements to enroll in an honors course?
1. 3.5 cumulative GPA
2. OR Faculty recommendation
3. OR Advisor recommendation
Are Honors courses right for me?
In an Atlantic Cape Honors Course, you can expect
- A specialized approach to the course content, which could be a course theme, an emphasis on primary texts, more creative assignments, etc.;
- A challenging but reasonable workload since Atlantic Cape honors courses use the same goals, objectives, and evaluation criteria as all non-honors sections of the course;
- A classroom community of engaged and motivated students;
- A small class size that promotes opportunity for participation and individual feedback;
- An accessible professor who is both an expert in the course material and knowledgeable about Atlantic Cape;
- And a mentoring relationship with this professor, who will be a guide and resource to you during and after the semester.
Atlantic Cape Honors Students are expected to
- Be invested and engaged in the classroom community, having a natural curiosity and love of learning;
- Be an active participant in the classroom and course, including discussion and group work;
- Make the time commitment needed to master the course goals and objectives and craft excellent work;
- And be self-directed, proactive learners with strong time management skills.
Honors Program News and Events
Check out some of the work done by honors students in the Honors Gallery!
Honors Students Shine in 1st Annual Symposium
On Friday, May 10th, Honors @ Atlantic Cape held its first annual Honors Symposium in the Student Center Lobby. The symposium featured presentations from honors students and faculty on artificial intelligence, medical narratives, Taino mythology, the 52-hertz whale, and Twine interactive stories. During the event, the first annual Honors Catalyst Awards were announced, recognizing individuals on campus who went above and beyond to build the “H-factor” for students. At the conclusion of the symposium, the Honors Symposium Gallery opened, featuring even more work from Atlantic Cape’s outstanding honors students, which remained on display through 5/17. For more details, including all presenters and award winners, head to the Honors Gallery.
Atlantic Cape Students Named to 2024 All-State Academic Team
Congratulations to Priya Momi and Enin Taggart who have been named to the 2024 New JerseyAll-State Academic Team. This recognition by the New Jersey Council of County Colleges (NJCCC) honors the outstanding achievements and service of two Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) honor society members from each county college. During the 2023-4 academic year, Enin served as the Vice-President of Fellowship, and Priya served as the Vice President of Scholarship of Atlantic Cape’s Alpha Delta Mu chapter of PTK. They were honored by the Atlantic Cape Board of Trustees on April 23rd and by the NJCCC during the New Jersey Community College Scholars Celebration on April 25th at the New Jersey State Museum in Trenton.
A Look Inside the Classroom: Honors Composition II
Rich Russell’s Honors Composition II course is exploring artificial intelligence this semester (Spring 2024), and during the week of February 5, they invited librarians Janet Hauge, Leslie Murtha, Mickey DiCamillo, and Bob Mast to join their class for an “innovation tank.” During these sessions, each student pitched their research focus to the class and librarian panel, and the group workshopped it together, shaping possible paths of inquiry and research methods and resources. The students are exploring a wide variety of aspects of artificial intelligence impacts from the super alignment problem to mental health treatment to creative pursuits like art, music, and storytelling. Janet Hauge said of the event: “It was a pleasure to hear the students 'pitch' their research ideas and to see the wheels churning as they began to refine those ideas. Many of the students came into the library this afternoon to look at resources and to talk to the librarians further.”
Jocelyn Caceres Named New Century Scholar
Atlantic Cape PTK member Jocelyn Caceres has been selected as a 2024 New Century Workforce Pathway Scholar. The New Century Workforce Pathway Scholarship program is sponsored by the Coca-Cola Foundation with additional support provided by Phi Theta Kappa. More than 2,200 applications were received and evaluated on academic achievement, leadership, service, and significant endeavors. Jocelyn received the highest score in your state. As a New Century Workforce Pathway Scholar, she will receive a $1,500 scholarship and will be recognized during the Association of Community College Trustees’ (ACCT) Leadership Congress in October in Seattle, Washington. Congratulations, Jocelyn!
Chapter Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AlphaDeltaMuChapter Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ptkalphadeltamu/
PTK College Projects
Each year, active club members of Alpha Delta Mu, Atlantic Cape's chapter of PTK, build a College Project. PTK College Projects respond to the needs of the campus community, particularly its students, and build resources that support that community. Check out recent projects here:
2021-2022 Project: Resources for students applying for Atlantic Cape Scholarships including this essay writing workshop video: https://youtu.be/lBmKVshFaL8.
2022-2023 Project:
Part I was a series of peer-to-peer videos with advice to students taking online courses at Atlantic Cape. Check out the playlist here: Alpha Delta Mu's Guide to Shine Online: Helpful Tips to Rock Your Courses.
Other honor society chapters at Atlantic Cape
Sigma Kappa Delta National English Honors Society for Two-Year College Students
Website: https://www.english2.org/
Atlantic Cape Chapter Advisor: Vickie Melograno.
Honors Course Design
Often when high school honors students first consider a college or university Honors education, they may feel some reluctance to take on what they believe will be extra work or little more than an accelerated version of an already-fast-paced college education.
But college Honors is not designed to be about more work or harder work. It is truly student-centered education. It is meant to provide students with an education that helps them develop their own ideas rather than simply having them feed back information. It is about discussing issues and encouraging innovation in an atmosphere of open exchange, where students' views are respected. Honors programs emphasize diverse perspectives, interdisciplinary course work, small classes, and greater interaction between students and professors. Honors education is about learning to think clearly, to write well, to argue thoughtfully. It is about developing the student's fullest intellectual potential.
Finally, students should bear in mind that the majority of their courses in college will not be Honors courses. They will be courses in their major or free electives.
Honors Course Simplified
To keep this simple the definition to faculty is the one described by the Honors Coordinator at Mercer. Honors is a traditional course plus an "H-Factor."
Usually that means that Honors students read more primary texts and are evaluated by writing and projects rather than scantron tests. The class is also not conducted by lecture.
Mission Statement
Honors at Atlantic Cape provides an enriched academic experience to a select group of highly motivated students. Through a curriculum of Honors General Education courses that emphasize global awareness, cultural experiences, and local engagement, Atlantic Cape Honors students are challenged to connect their studies to the world beyond the campus. By fostering collaborative learning and intellectual inquiry, Honors at Atlantic Cape prepares students for transfer to competitive four-year colleges and universities, as well as for citizenship in our 21st century world.
National Collegiate Honors Council
Website: https://www.nchchonors.org/