Board of Education Reapproves MCLA's Honor Program
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NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — After a review of the Commonwealth Honors Council, Massachusetts’ Board of Higher Education recently reapproved the honors program at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts.
Similar to an accreditation, the re-approval review began last fall when the college performed a self-evaluation. In February, three members of the Council – which consists of honors directors from around the state – spent a day at MCLA.
In addition to attending honors classes, Council members met with students, administrators, faculty and MCLA Honors Program co-directors Matthew Silliman and Susan Edgerton before passing along their recommendation for approval to the Commonwealth Honors Council.
Based on the Council’s recommendation, the Board of Higher Education voted to approve MCLA’s Honors Program for another seven-year term.
“The approval is an educational process and a very healthy process where we re-examine what we’re doing in light of the guidelines, then we talk with our colleagues about where we need to make improvements. We’re always learning from each other about how we might reorganize and things we might try,” Sillman said.
Suggestions included providing more information about the program to new faculty members and offering targeted honors advising to juniors and seniors.
“We are in great shape. They really passed us with flying colors,” Silliman said.
According to Edgerton, the honors program is good for both the students and the college.
“The honors program provides students an opportunity to extend their liberal arts education beyond the core curriculum. The courses are designed around a set of criteria that insures a rich experience – reading and writing intensive, research that includes primary sources, and small class discussion around a topic that is explored through two or more disciplines,” Edgerton said. “Students take these experiences into their other classes and campus activities, which can further enrich those environments. The program is good for MCLA because it is a draw for students who tend to be hard-working scholars who often bring recognition to the college.”
About 80 students currently participate in MCLA’s Honors Program. Incoming freshmen and transfer students with strong test scores or high school grades are invited to join the program, which typically attracts between 30 and 40 new members each year.
Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts is the commonwealth's public liberal arts college and a campus of the Massachusetts state university system. MCLA promotes excellence in learning and teaching, innovative scholarship, intellectual creativity, public service, applied knowledge, and active and responsible citizenship. MCLA graduates are prepared to be practical problem solvers and engaged, resilient global citizens. For more information, go to www.mcla.edu.
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