With economy-based worries on everyone’s minds, college enrollment has been an issue all over Ohio. But there is one program on the University’s campus whose enrollment future is looking bright: the University Honors Program.

‘Last time we checked, we’re up anywhere from 4 to 8 percent from last year, compared to where the University is down. They’ve been down roughly about 4 percent,’ said Honors Program Director Paul Moore.

‘ According to reports gathered by Dawn Shores, assistant director of the honors program, as of May 12, 2009, there has been a 6.9 percent increase in applications for the Honors Program in comparison to the previous year.

‘In May 12, 2008’ Shores said, ‘we had 159 applications for the incoming fall 2008 class and 116 of those applications have been admitted as of that date.’

In comparison, by May 12, 2009 ‘we had 170 applications for the incoming fall 2009 class and 128 of those applications have been admitted,’ Shores said.

Moore has seen enrollment fluctuate in the past.

‘Two years ago, the University changed its scholarship grid,’ he explained, ‘and we saw a significant decline in enrollment in the Honors Program from three years ago to two years ago.’

But this upcoming school year, the economy has not affected the Honors Program enrollment due to a change in recruiting tactics, said Moore.

Shores played a dynamic role in the new recruitment strategy.’

‘The changes I made to my recruitment strategy for this year were to increase personal contact with prospective students through on and off campus events, as well as’hellip;through print and electronic communication,’ Shores said.’

Shores added that she wants students to know the program offers courses to engage them as active learners and build critical and analytical skills, not courses that just give more work to high-achieving students.

Students involved in the Honors Program, like sophomore Brigitte Reinke, are having positive experiences with the program.

‘The [honors] classes were so different than anything I’ve ever done before,’ Reinke in discussing the honors core curriculum classes, said. ‘You feel like you have a say in the class. We weren’t afraid to ask questions or say what was on our minds. I got to know the minds of the people around me.’

Moore believes the critical thinking core curriculum is one of the main keys to the success of the Honors Program.

‘We’ve gone to national meetings and presented our core curriculum,’ he said, ‘and we’re the only program in the nation that has a critical thinking core curriculum.’

It seems really simple and obvious, Moore explained, but no other honors program has a core curriculum that teaches students how to think.

‘And although critical thinking is a buzz-word across the University and across the nation,’ he added, ‘we actually teach it. And that makes us unique.’

This ‘uniqueness’ keeps students like Reinke coming back for more.

‘I absolutely loved those classes,’ Reinke said. ‘They made me actually think through what I was saying and helped me get in touch with more of who I am.’

But the impressive core curriculum didn’t happen over night, it has been perfected over time.

‘We have this critical thinking curriculum in place and it’s been five years now,’ Moore said, ‘and we are beginning to see the benefits of it, both for our graduates and our reputation on campus, state, and national organization of honors programs.’

Reinke also commented on the Honors Loft, and how it was a good place to hang out with other students or study.

According to Denise Vollmar, Administrative Assistant of the Honors Program, the Loft is a recent addition to the program, and this will be their third summer utilizing the space. Vollmar explained that there used to be an honors center in the basement of Kreisher Hall, with the staff located all the way across campus in University Hall. Now, staff offices and the Loft are located right outside of where the learning community students reside, in Harshman.

‘Over here our offices are right by where the students live,’ Vollmar added, ‘and it’s truly more of a learning community feeling. I think we get to know the students a lot better just by being here with them.’

According to Reinke, spending time in the Loft is definitely a perk of being in the Honors Program.

‘The Loft is a really nice relaxed space that is never too loud or crowded’ Reinke said. ‘It’s good for studying and its also good for fun.’

It could certainly be this combination of factors that have led to the positive enrollment of the Honors Program.

‘In a year that the President was expecting a down turn at the University, and other universities and honors programs are facing down turns, we’re seeing an enrollment increase,’ Moore said. ‘It could be due to random factors, or it could be due to something we are doing right.’

Although it is impossible to figure out all the variables, it is clear that the University Honors Program will continue to positively impact the experiences of students like Reinke.

‘At one point my parents came to campus for a dinner thing with me’ she said, ‘and they commented on how much I had grown, and honestly in one year, I think a lot of that was due to the Honors Program.’