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>> [Background music] Ronald Nelson, with honors.
>> Jason Rivera: With honors?
What exactly does that mean, and what does it mean
at Montgomery College?
We're about to find out on this episode of Campus Conversations.
[ Music ]
>> Jason: Hi.
I'm Jason Rivera and this is Campus Conversations.
As you might imagine, college honors courses offer great
opportunities for motivated students.
And honors at Montgomery College is no different.
With me to talk about those opportunities is Dean
of Collegewide Honors, Carolyn Terry.
Thank you for joining me.
>> Carolyn: Hi Jason.
>> Jason: How are you doing?
>> Carolyn: Fine, thanks.
>> Jason: Good.
Tell me; what are the honors programs here at the college?
>> Carolyn: Well, at Montgomery College there are several
options for students who want to engage in an honors program.
We have special honors scholarship programs,
but in addition to those programs we have a general
honors program that's spread throughout the curriculum.
Students who come to Montgomery College who are qualified
from their high school transcripts with a GPA of a 3.5
or higher and students who are already at Montgomery College
but who have taken English 101 with a B or higher
and have a GPA of 3.2, are qualified to enroll
in special honors modules
that are spread throughout various courses
in the curriculum.
And in these classes the students have separate seats
that are assigned and reserved for them
where they can work individually with their faculty member
on research projects that are associated to the course.
So we have these honors modules in Sciences, in Humanities,
in Social Sciences, in the Math courses
and these are typically classes that are at the 200 level
or higher, where students who are interested in some
of the subject matter can do individual research
on their papers.
>> Jason: So how does the honors modules different
from an honors program?
>> Carolyn: Well, the honors modules are loosely associated
with the honors program because they exist
as separate entities rather
than all students taking them at the same time.
So the honors modules are faculty based rather
than program based.
>> Jason: Okay.
>> Carolyn: And students have many more options
to take honors modules.
These are the courses that students should look
for that have the HM suffix on the course title.
>> Jason: Okay.
>> Carolyn: And that says to the student
that if you take this class, you will be doing honors level work.
And it will be reflected on your transcript
so that students have the credit on their transcript
for taking honors courses.
>> Jason: So what's the benefit to students
when they take honors courses
or are enrolled in an honors program?
>> Carolyn: Right.
Well there are several benefits.
The main benefit is that students
who take these honor courses are often looking
for transfer opportunities.
>> Jason: Okay.
>> Carolyn: And when a student can present
to a transfer institution that he or she has taken a number
of honors level courses, they not only are more attractive
to the transfer institution,
but they also then qualify many times for the kinds
of scholarships that transfer institutions will offer
incoming students.
So for instance students who are looking
for the Maryland Transfer Scholarship or students
who are looking for the Jack Kent Cooke Scholarship,
which is an excellent make your life a dream kind
of scholarship.
Takes care of all of your higher education costs.
Or students who want to qualify for some
of the institutional based scholarships
from Dickenson College or from Georgetown, are often competing
with a lot of other students and if they have the GPA
and if they have the honors credits on their transcript,
they are more competitive and more likely
to get those transfer dollars.
The other advantage is that students
who take the honors courses have opportunities
to present their original research in various venues,
which many undergraduate students particularly
at community colleges don't usually have
that opportunity to do.
So for instance we have the Beacon Conference
which we participate in every year,
which is a Mid-Atlantic regional kind of conference
where students can compete
with other community college honors students and I will say
that Montgomery College usually does really well it
that competition [laughs].
And we also; we pay for the students to go
and travel overnight and stay in a hotel and get a little bit
of that experience of what it's like to present at a conference.
>> Jason: You said we pay for them, right?
[Inaudible].
>> Carolyn: We do, we pay for them.
We pay for them to do that.
We pay their room and board and we pay their travel cost.
And then the other nice thing is that the students can
if they can't travel overnight,
we have a Maryland Collegiate Honors Conference
and our Honors Director, Dr. Lucy Laufe, is the President
of that organization this year
and she will be organizing a student group
to go to that conference.
That's more regional.
I think this year's is somewhere close by so
that students may not have to go overnight but they are able
to participate and they get a credit on their transcript
where they can say I presented at a professional conference.
>> Jason: Very nice.
>> Carolyn: Yes.
>> Jason: So we've got a couple minutes left.
If I were a student who qualified for this program
but had some fears about whether or not it was the right fit
for me, what would you tell me?
How would you encourage me to;
>> Carolyn: Yeah.
The first thing I would do is I would encourage that student
to come in and talk to one
of the Honors Coordinators on the campuses.
Go to the Montgomery College website, check for;
search for Honors and go to the Honors Program site and look
at all the various opportunities.
And go in and talk to one of the faculty who is listed
on that site to ask if it's appropriate to them.
The other thing I would say is that if you are a student
who excelled in high school or even
if high school was not the best experience but you feel
like you can do this and particularly if you've done well
in your first 12 credits at Montgomery College,
stretch yourself to take the Honors Programs
because you will be a more attractive candidate
upon transfer.
>> Jason: It sounds like it is a great opportunity
to hone research skills;
>> Carolyn: Yes.
>> Jason: While really engaging in intellectual discussion.
>> Carolyn: Yes, absolutely.
And then we also have some honors opportunities
for honors students.
We do trips to museums and we do some cultural events
and we have speakers who come in and they're open to all students
but we try to create some special opportunities
for the honors students as well.
>> Jason: Okay, well great.
Well I want to take this opportunity to thank you
for sharing this information.
I think it's really helpful for the college community
to really understand what types of programs are out there
that can help make students a more attractive candidates
for institutions when they're looking to transfer.
And I'm sure it even benefits them when they are looking
to move into the world of work.
>> Carolyn: Absolutely, yes.
>> Jason: We're going to take a closer look now
at Montgomery College's special honors programs.
First up is the Macklin Business Institute.
Meryl Governski has the story.
>> Meryl Governski: Hi Jason.
I'm here on the Rockville Campus
where the Macklin Business Institute students just met
for their weekly seminar.
It is a small group but all
of the students have big plans for their future.
>> We're going to like update our [inaudible] too
because some of them are just;
>> Faith Harrington: I'm the Operations Manager
at the MBI Cafe.
Also on campus I'm the Student Senate Chief of Staff
and Vice President of Phi Theta Kappa.
>> Brian Baick: My name is Brian Baick.
I'm the Interim Director for the Macklin Business Institute.
>> Faith: Macklin Business Institute is a honors program
for business students.
We operate the student run café on campus
and also we have great opportunities.
We have seminars every week where people; speakers come in
and talk to us about real business skills,
resume building.
And then we also get to go on field trips
to different businesses locally
and we can see exactly what it takes to run a business.
>> Brian: The last part of the seminar; Mason,
do you want to talk about;
>> Brian: Macklin Business Institute was founded
with a donation from Gordon Macklin so we have a lot
of resources that we can offer the students.
We have relationships with the community and we try
to have professors come in as well as community leaders come
in and advise and speak with the students.
>> Advantages and disadvantages of this type of resume.
Very widely used.
>> Brian: The most important skills
that MBI students get is the ability
to have experiential learning experiences so they actually go
out and learn by doing.
So we have different field trips
and students can actually see how businesses are run
on a practical level.
>> Faith: In the year that I've been
in the Macklin Business Institute, I've learned so much
that are just invaluable skills.
I've learned how to be responsible,
time management, running a business.
Because I'm Operations Manager of the MBI café,
I've learned things like inventory and like working
with different people, team management.
Just all these different things
that I never would have gotten otherwise.
>> Brian: They all go to a 4 year school
so we have a 100 percent transfer acceptance rate
and we have a very good track record with different schools
and within the community.
So when school like Georgetown see that somebody graduated
from the MBI program, they know that they're getting a student
that has a certain degree of knowledge and breadth
of experiences and [inaudible] very successful.
>> Faith: I would like to continue on to a 4 year school,
probably majoring in Business Management.
And then I'd like to get my Master's in Public Policy,
more focusing in non-profit management
and then go on to law school.
>> Brian: One example of a very successful student
that we had was Steven Church [assumed spelling].
Steven Church graduated high school with a 2.7 GPA
and he was not going to be admitted into the program
but he was very persistent, came to all of the seminars
and we did let him into the program.
And not only did he graduate number one in his class
at Montgomery College, he actually went on to transfer
to Columbia where he graduated number one in his class
and then he went on to Columbia Law School.
And now he works on Wall Street as an attorney
and I recently met him about a month ago
with the former Director Mr. Lang and he's doing really well.
And he credits the MBI program with giving him a second chance.
>> Faith: And that's not; that's just one
of the stories that we've heard.
There's been so many different people who are doing;
going to great schools and doing great things with their lives
and really making a difference.
And that just gives me such hope and excitement for the future,
knowing that that could be me in a couple of years.
MBI really gave me that chance to shine as a student.
>> Meryl: With a 100 percent transfer rate it's safe to say
that Faith and her classmates have a good chance
at success in the future.
>> Jason: Thanks, Meryl.
Next we turn to the Montgomery Scholars Program.
Also based on the Rockville campus this program creates a
learning community amongst the students.
With me now is Dr. Mary Furgol, the Program Director
and Christian Barrera, a Montgomery Scholars alum.
Thank you both for joining us today.
>> Dr. Mary Furgol: Thank you.
>> Christian Barrera: Thank you.
>> Jason: Dr. Furgol, can you tell me more
about the Montgomery Scholars Program?
>> Dr. Furgol: Yes, it's a program that's based
on accepting students straight from high school so you have
to be currently a senior in high school to apply.
And we aim to create a learning community of 25/ 26 students
who will take classes together.
They'll take half their courses together.
In a 2 year degree we expect them to finish in 2 years;
their 2 year Associate's degree; and then transfer
to a 4 year school to finish there.
>> Jason: How do they learn about the program?
>> Dr. Furgol: Well, we have recruiters going
out to high schools.
We have brochures.
We encourage students to come so we have an information session.
Our next one is on November 9th which is a Saturday;
>> Jason: Okay.
>> Dr. Furgol: At eleven o'clock
in Theater Arts here at Rockville campus.
And we invite students if they are in the least bit interested
in finding out about Montgomery Scholars and Montgomery College,
to come to that information session,
where they can meet other students as well.
>> Jason: Okay, okay.
So what would be the criteria that you would be looking for,
for a student who might be interested in the program?
>> Dr. Furgol: Yeah, I mean my mantra always is to students,
don't eliminate yourself before you start.
>> Jason: Okay.
>> Dr. Furgol: Sometimes people hear the word scholar
and they get really worried you know;
I don't think I'm a scholar per say.
We're looking for students who really are; have;
something in the program really touches them and attracts them
in relation to the ideal of small classrooms
which of course are uniform at Montgomery College,
but here where you'll be taking courses with other students
and being really challenged in our rigorous Honors Program
that also supports you.
So students who; I mean
to be competitive you should have a 3.0 GPA and up.
Then also we; you have to take your SAT scores
but you can also take the Accuplacer Exam
which is a Montgomery College exam to place
into college level English.
And then you have essays and recommendation letters
and you could also, if you are an artist or a musician,
you can insert some of that work into your application.
One of the really unusual things
about our program is we actually want students from lots
of different disciplines.
Many scholars programs are based on a specific theme
or a specific area of the Arts, Humanities, Sciences.
But we actually want the engineering student sitting next
to the Art History majors, sitting next
to the Architecture major or the Sociology
or Criminal Justice major.
We find that very diverse and stimulating in the classroom.
>> Jason: Sounds exciting and fortunately we have Christian
with us, who's gone through the program.
>> Christian: Yes.
>> Jason: So Christian, tell me about your experience?
>> Christian: You know, it's funny to hear Dr. Furgol talk
about admissions process because I think I was one
of those students that was kind of insecure in terms
of you know, would I even get into this program
because I did come to the information session
and I thought, this is it.
I think I found a program that speaks to me.
So I encourage every single student out there
who is a senior or maybe a junior, to come out and learn
about the Montgomery Scholars Program and learn you know,
to see whether you fit in or not,
but to give yourself a chance.
After I applied and I got accepted,
I would say that I did my little dance, you know;
oh I can't believe I got in, you know.
It meant a lot for me because I knew
that I had found something very special and going
through the program I just was reassured of that.
Going through the Montgomery Scholars Program I think
that was perhaps one of the best experiences in my life.
I mean there's no day that I don't remember the friendships
that I made there, the push that I got from the professors.
I mean it is a challenging experience.
I will not you know sugar coat that.
But it's one that you come out stronger.
I came in you know with doubt; self-doubt, thinking you know,
I don't know if I have the language skills for example.
I had just gotten here to this country 4 years ago then.
And so it was one of those things that to me,
to be in a classroom with really you know, driven individuals,
even pushed me further.
It made me feel that I was in an environment
where I could succeed academically
but at the same time, a support system that is you know
around each Montgomery Scholar,
I think is what truly makes this a scholar community.
And I emphasize the word community because I think
that as a Montgomery Scholar, you're not alone.
You know, even when I transferred
to the George Washington University later on,
the academic journey can be quite lonely
but it doesn't have to be.
I mean we had events where we would go
to Professor White's house for [inaudible] to engage
in philosophical thought and discussions.
From going to conferences to you know, present our papers
that we had done as a Montgomery Scholar.
Or at that time I got to travel to the University of Cambridge
which was one of those experiences
that you just don't forget when you're studying in one
of the oldest universities in the world, and I think it opened
up my eyes to; that I was not just a citizen you know,
of this country or back in my country, but a global citizen
and I think that's something that [inaudible].
>> Jason: Excellent.
So it sounds like there's a huge benefit;
>> Christian: Yes.
>> Jason: To students.
>> Christian: Yes.
>> Jason: Is there anything that you want the community to know
about the Montgomery Scholars before we close out our segment?
>> Dr. Furgol: I think what I would like them to know
that there is this opportunity at Montgomery College
and that the program in many ways is a microcosm
of the college itself
of the many opportunities that are here at MC.
As you know we have wonderful Engineering programs,
Art programs, we have that brand new science building.
There's so many, many things here and Montgomery Scholars is
as I said a microcosm of that.
>> Jason: Well, I want to thank the both of you
for sharing your experience and sharing more about the program.
I think it's definitely something
that the community is going to benefit
from learning more about.
So thank you both.
>> Dr. Furgol: You're welcome.
Thank you.
>> Jason: We're going to take a short break.
When we return our producer Marcus Rosano will join me
to talk about one more Honors Program.
And this one is a perfect fit for many
of our non-traditional students.
[ Music ]
>> Jason: Marcus, there's one more program we have to talk
about and that's the Renaissance Scholars, right?
>> Marcus Rosano: Yes.
I recently went out to the Germantown Campus to talk
to the Program Director Joan Naake.
The interesting thing about the Renaissance Program is
that it offers scholarship money to the classes that are specific
to the Renaissance Program,
yet it doesn't require the students to be full time.
And the classes are offered on evenings.
Now that benefits; as you'll hear in the video;
benefits a lot of the non-traditional students
that are in the Renaissance Program.
>> Marcus: Professor Naake, today we're talking
about the various Honors Programs for students here
at Montgomery College and the Renaissance Scholars Program is
a little bit different from your I guess traditional Honors
Program where it serves non-traditional students
quite often.
Tell us a little bit about how the Renaissance Scholars is
different from the other Scholars Programs that we have
or Honor Programs we have at Montgomery College.
>> Professor Joan Naake: First of all it is for both part time
and full time students and our students receive
or earn scholarships for taking courses within the program.
These courses all fulfill their graduation requirements
and they all transfer to 4 year universities;
we've made sure about that.
But I think one of the unique things
about the Renaissance Scholars Honors Program is the
interdisciplinary nature of the courses.
For example even in some of our 1 credit fall courses,
we're offering a course in Infinity
and Art; Mathematics and Art.
We're also offering a course on History Through Star Trek
and another course on the History of Religion.
>> Marcus: Now is this a dyad format that we're talking about?
>> Professor Naake: No.
Actually these are the HP1 credit classes in the fall.
We have the dyads in the spring which are even more exciting
and really are the core of the program, okay.
>> Marcus: Okay.
>> Professor Naake: The dyads that we're going
to be offering this spring are Political Science
which is comparative governments combined with literature.
And in that course we're going to be offering literature
that reflects comparative governments.
Okay so we're going to be offering literature from India,
from Iran, from Germany;
>> Marcus: Wow.
>> Professor Naake: From South Africa
and for example we're offering a piece of literature that is
for pre; during apartheid and a piece of literature that's
from post-apartheid in South Africa.
So we're very excited about that.
But we have another course which is Introduction
to Anthropology combined with Philosophy which is the History
of Religion and that discusses the 5 major religions
in the United States and basically in the world
and combines it with Anthropological Introduction
to Cultural Anthropology; very exciting as well.
And then we have a brand new dyad
which I'm very excited about, which is Art;
2 Dimensional Art combined with Introduction to Philosophy
from Plato on to modern philosophers.
So that's going to be a very exciting course
and our professors are all hand-picked
and it's just very exciting.
But perhaps the most unique aspect
of our program is unlike other Honors Programs
that take students directly from high school, ours are taken
from students who are already here;
>> Marcus: Okay.
>> Professor Naake: At Montgomery College
so it's truly focused on Montgomery College students.
And sometimes you know, students don't do as well in high school
but they flourish in college.
And so when they flourish here, then we offer the opportunity
to them to be accepted into the Renaissance Scholars Program.
The requirements are pretty simple.
It's a 3.2 GPA, 12 credits or more and an A
or a B in English 101.
So; and again it gives it a unique flavor.
We have students from age 16 to 64, maybe even older.
>> Marcus: Wow.
>> Professor Naake: We have classes that are offered
in the evening so that we can accommodate people
who work during the day and cannot;
in fact all our classes presently are offered during the
evening so that we can accommodate students
who work during the day and can only come to class at night.
>> Marcus: That's incredibly important in today's economy.
>> Professor Naake: Yes.
>> Marcus: So reaching that population
of students is excellent for, like you say,
the highly motivated student.
So talk a little bit about the application process
and what you're seeing; you said from 16 to 64.
>> Professor Naake: 64, that's right.
>> Marcus: So how are students that are already here going
about applying to be a Renaissance Scholar?
>> Professor Naake: Well if they're already here, then I;
in fact right now I'm writing a letter, sending out a letter
to all students who are here who have 12 credits or more, 3.2 GPA
or higher, and giving; sending out the application to them both
by email and US Mail and they are receiving this
and then that's one way.
>> Marcus: Okay.
>> Professor Naake: Another way is the professors tell the
students; I ask the professors to, particularly in English 101
and 102, but all the courses; tell the students
about the Renaissance Scholars Program and so that they know
about it and they can apply if they meet the criteria.
Another avenue is that I often meet with students
through student senate;
>> Marcus: Okay.
>> Professor Naake: And meet
with various clubs to let them know.
I also meet with individual faculty to let them know
about the Renaissance Scholars and I meet with the counselors.
So we publicize it in many, many different ways
so that students are aware of the program and can apply.
>> Marcus: Okay, very good.
Talk a little bit about the hands on approach
that they are afforded the luxury
of being a Renaissance Scholar.
We have about a minute left, but I remember when I was
in college it was very important; class size
and interaction with your instructors or your counselors.
How does that benefit the Renaissance students?
>> Professor Naake: Well I can't tell you enough that;
first of all class size is 20.
There are 2 instructors in the class all the time
with the students and we do a great deal
of special advising during the course of the program
and also for transfer.
This past May I was very fortunate to be able to go
up to Smith College and see 5 Renaissance Scholars graduate
from Smith, one with a Fulbright.
>> Marcus: That's fantastic.
>> Professor Naake: And just; we open up the; their potential.
We say to them things such as you know,
there is a world out there.
You need to apply; you know you're very talented no matter
what your field is.
Maybe it's Economics, maybe it's Biology, maybe it's History.
And then let's see where the best place
for you to transfer to is.
So it's very exciting.
>> Marcus: That's fantastic.
Professor Naake, it's great to see that you're;
you're giving the opportunity
for these Montgomery College students
that might not be the you know, the standard population
of college students; giving them the opportunity
to really explore themselves academically
at Montgomery College.
>> Professor Naake: Yes, we are doing that
and I feel it's an honor and a privilege to serve as Director
of the Renaissance Scholars Program because it is
so helpful to students.
>> Erica Watts: My name is Erica Watts.
I'm a sophomore at Montgomery College and I'm part
of the Renaissance Scholars Program.
When you go into a normal college classroom you're
being lectured.
Whereas when you go into a Renaissance Scholars classroom,
you're expected to have done the reading, you're expected
to participate and you can actually have a good
conversation with the professor.
So you're actually talking things through.
You're understanding things a lot better.
I know that I learn really well being able to talk about it
and being able to get the professor's ideas
and have them kind of align with your own.
The Renaissance Scholars Program has definitely helped me
with confidence because they do look to you for your opinion
and for your participation in the classroom.
So when you're speaking in front of other people
that you don't know and giving your ideas
and forming your own thoughts and opinions for a group
to judge what you're saying, it's been able;
it's helped me build confidence and self-assertiveness as well
as giving me the opportunities and privileges
that I wouldn't have as just being a general
admission student.
It's something that I would recommend
because of all the doors that are open to you
after you become a scholar.
I've been able to network and meet people
and have opportunities for further education brought to me
that I didn't even know was possible.
So the director and the professors,
the letters of recommendation that they write for you
for internships, for other scholarships;
I mean the opportunities are just endless.
Joining the Renaissance Scholars Program has opened
so many doors for me.
You're meeting people who care about you, who see potential
in you that you might not see in yourself.
They see something in you that they know that needs
to be pushed and they push you
and they tell you exactly what needs to be done.
It's on you to do the work and to follow through with it.
But to meet the people and make those connections and see a face
to an email really helps with being successful.
>> Jason: Marcus, Erica is just one of many of the students
who benefit from our special Honors Programs.
>> Marcus: You're right, Jason.
The Montgomery College Honors Programs;
they certainly provide excellent opportunities
across the board for these students.
However, of the 26,000 plus students; credit students
that we have enrolled at Montgomery College, only a very,
very small percentage are in the Honors Programs and the data
that we've learned shows that 25 percent or more
of our current students actually are eligible to be
in these Honors Programs.
So there seems to be a little bit of a disconnect
between the students maybe in high school that don't think
that they're ready for these programs or don't think
that they can qualify,
to the actual reality which is they can.
>> Jason: They might not be aware of the programs.
>> Marcus: True.
>> Jason: For more information about any of today's stories
or to see past episodes of Campus Conversations,
visit our website
at montgomerycollege.edu /campusconversations.
From all of us here at Campus Conversations,
thanks for watching.
[ Music ]