Baylor University
Honors Residential College
Address: One Bear Place # 97253
City: Waco
State: TX
Zip or Postal Code: 76798
Country: USA
Program Director (or best person to contact): Ms. Anna Shaw, Program Director
Email: Anna_Shaw@baylor.edu
Phone: 254-710-7826
Fax: 254-710-3120
Web Address: www.baylor.edu/hrc
Brief Program Summary
The mission of the Honors Residential College (HRC), founded in 2004, is to integrate serious intellectual pursuits into the fabric of student life and to foster a caring community that prizes inquiry, reflection, dialogue and conscientious engagement -- all different steps on our paths toward personal and communal development. Members of the HRC share intellectual and social experiences within a climate of creativity and curiosity. Housed right in the heart of campus, the HRC offers its members a truly unique residential experience. The HRC is open to all students enrolled in an Honors College Academic Program.
Sources of funding
Honors College, Student programming fees
Program Reports To:
Dean of the Honors College & Dean for Student Learning and Engagement
Are students charged an additional fee: Yes
The number of persons in each of the following categories are teaching academic credit bearing courses
Fulltime Tenured Faculty: 1
Fulltime Probationary Faculty:
Fulltime Instructors:
Fulltime Retired Faculty:
Fulltime Adjunct Faculty:
Fulltime Graduate Students:
Fulltime Residence Hall Staff: 1
Parttime Tenured Faculty: 17
Parttime Probationary Faculty: 1
Parttime Instructors:
Parttime Retired Faculty:
Parttime Adjunct Faculty:
Parttime Graduate Students: 10
Parttime Residence Hall Staff:
Academic staff involved in the program that weren't included as faculty above
(Academic staff are personnel who are involved in providing academic services to students such as advising.)
Fulltime Academic Staff: 1
Parttime Academic Staff:
Non-academic staff involved in the program
(Non-academic staff are personnel who are involved in providing services that do not directly involve academics such as residence hall staff or staff who organize social activities that are not tied to academics.)
Fulltime Non-Academic Staff: 1
Parttime Non-Academic Staff:
Number of faculty offices in the residence hall: 2
The approximate percentage of students in each grade level
First Year: 45
Second Year: 30
Third Year: 15
Fourth Year and above: 10
Graduate Students:
Total Number of Students: 323
Year the Program Began:2004
Academic Courses Offered In The Community
There are no particular courses solely for HRC students, but the HRC students are required to be in 1 of the 4 programs in the Honors College.
Other Academic Offerings
The 4 programs are the Baylor Interdisciplinary Core (BIC), the Great Texts Program, the University Scholars Program, and the Honors Program. Through these programs, special Great Texts and Colloquium courses are offered, as well as honors level classes of certain courses such as beginner抯 Chemistry and Christian Scriptures.
Classrooms in hall
2
Summary of Facilities and Facilities Budget Two residence halls: one men抯 and one women抯. There is a large meeting room in each residence hall, a renovated chapel, a high-tech classroom, faculty/staff offices of the HRC, and a dining hall in-between the residence halls.
Computer Resources in the Residence Hall
Wired high-speed network in rooms, wireless network in common areas, and checkout laptops are available.
The Role of Community Partnerships
The HRC has worked in partnerships with One Book, One Waco, Baylor抯 Classics Department, the Center for Ministry and Spiritual Life, the Department of Student Activities, and the Modern Foreign Language Department.
The Role of Leadership Development
There are a number of leadership opportunities for students in the community including the College Council (4 committees), 4 students on Board of Trustees, HRC choir and 8 Community Leaders.
The Role of Research
The majority of the students in the HRC are required to write a thesis, due the spring of their senior year. Students research a topic in a field of study of their choice under the mentorship of a Baylor faculty member. Thesis topics can vary from statistical analysis of standardized tests to the exploration of dualism in Virgil抯 Aeneid.
Summary of Assessment Activities
In the Great Texts courses, HRC students partake in in-depth discussions and reflective paper-writing, as well as group discussions outside of classes. Students also write reflections on the books and articles they read in preparation for writing their thesis papers. HRC students also present these thesis papers in front of other HRC students and Baylor faculty members so as to share their research with their fellow students. Guest lecturers also provide students with opportunities to expand their knowledge and interact with visiting speakers.
Summary of Extracurricular Activities Formally Associated with the Program
Lectures, Master抯 High Tea, Dr. Pepper Hour, Community Dinners, Movie nights, Evening Prayer in the chapel, Spring Garden Party
The Role of Interdisciplinary Studies
The BIC program connected with the HRC presents Baylor students with alternate core classes that allow them to explore the diverse world more extensively from different perspectives and fields. The University Scholars Program allows students to concentrate in separate fields of study such as Arabic and Chemistry. The Great Texts Program presents the major Great Texts, which is a interdisciplinary major involving literature, theology, and philosophy, and sometimes even mathematics and the sciences. Students in the Honors Program and the University Scholars Program are both required to take at least two Great Texts courses.
How Diversity Issues are Addressed in the Program and in Courses
HRC hosts a number of lectures on different topics each semester, exploring the sciences, literature, foreign languages, etc. The HRC has also worked in cooperation with One Book, One Waco in a promotion of the literary classic Fahrenheit 451 out of a desire to teach HRC students how to think, not what to think. BIC specifically requires their students to take such classes as World Cultures, Social World, and Examination of Life, exploring diverse religions, cultures, and perspectives.
How Diversity Issues are Addressed Among Faculty and Students
Students and faculty from all backgrounds and ethnicities are welcomed in the HRC. Students interact in community social gatherings such as Halloween parties and chapel dedications, breaking down barriers and encouraging communal respect and lasting relationships.
Student Demographics
Faculty Rewards for Participation in the Program
Release Time:
Salary Supplement:
Travel Funds:
Other:
Description of Other Rewards
Disciplines Represented by the Faculty
Classics, Great Texts, Philosophy, Theology, French, Public Relations, Anthropology, Archaeology, Forensic Sciences, Computer Science, Italian, Environmental Sciences, Education, International Education, Information Technology, English, Literature, and Political Science are all represented by the faculty.
Willing to Serve as a Consultant:
Yes
Greatest Challenges for this Learning Community:
The greatest challenge to the HRC is the draw of conformity among the students to the academics and to graduate school, which result in somewhat of a lack of encouragement for alternative careers.
Suggested Bibliography