Improving Recruitment and Retention of Honors Students: Multidisciplinary Course Modules

The University of the 21st century is in the throes of a paradigm shift, breaking free of the last century\u27s discipline-bound model of education. VCU\u27s Strategic Plan clearly articulates this forward-thinking concept: ....to promote interdisciplinary studies within the University, to bring new perspectives to bear on complex problems, and mobilize creative energies and expertise in meeting the needs of society and individuals through its unique role as Virginia\u27s major urban university. In addition, the Strategic Plan goes on to envision the Honors Program as a leader for excellence in undergraduate education\u27\u27. Our project utilizes the Honors Program to create interdisciplinary cross-campus experiences. Implementation of the proposal will enhance the Honors Program, increase Honors students\u27 exposure to VCU\u27s graduate and professional programs, and indeed, initiate an innovative, modem educational model for the entire University. Moreover, our project recommends an integrative experiential learning experience in a subsequent Honors module, either through research or community service. The proposed Honors module would expose students to issues that range across both campuses, and in particular to subsequent opportunities in graduate education in our professional programs. Two specific modules are proposed initially, in psychology/women\u27s health and pharmacy. In our design, a directing professor coordinates a team-taught honors module in which students learn about an interdisciplinary range of scholarly and professional issues relating to a specific umbrella topic (such as psychology/women\u27s health or pharmacy)