Honors Program Campus and Community Engagement Expectations for Graduates and Achievers:
Aligned Honors Program Outcome: Participate in learning experiences beyond the classroom that develop leadership skills, demonstrate service to others, and encourage personal growth.
Honors Program Graduates must earn at least 3 points throughout their time at ECC and in The Honors Program.
Honors Program Achievers must earn at least 2 points throughout their time at ECC and in The Honors Program.
Pathways to Earn Points
Students can earn 2 points by being leaders at the college, by participating in academic teams, or by participating in a semester-long study abroad program. Examples include:
The student serves as an officer or in an executive leadership position within any student organization. Some examples include serving as Student Board Trustees, Student Government executive positions, officers within PTK, officers within OLAS or BSA, Editors of The Observer, and leaders within other similar organizations.
The student is an active member of ECC’s Forensics team or similar academic team.
The student participates in a semester-long study abroad experience.
Students can earn 1 point for every 8 hours of participation in Honors approved events, volunteering, and other activities.
Students will submit a Google Form to document the amount of time involved to be counted as well as to reflect on the experiences. Students can be assured that the Honors Program will approve events associated with the listed campus programs below. In addition, other approved events may be added and shared on the Honors Google Site here under the "Getting Involved" page. Students may also submit a request for any activity not “pre-approved” but that the student believes meets the Honors Program Outcomes to count. Here is a link to the form: Honors Campus and Community Engagement Form
Since this is a new process, please understand that changes may be made to the process and the form as we implement this new system. If you have any suggestions or feedback, you can always email honors@elgin.edu or contact the Honors Program Director.
Important Note as we transition to this new process: For members of PTK, 1 point still can be earned through each level of enhanced membership status earned within the chapter. Students must show completed and signed enhanced membership cards to verify participation within the Campus and Community Engagement Google Form.
In addition, although all students are encouraged to track their involvement throughout their time in the Honors Program, only those students seeking to earn the recognition as an Honors Program Graduate or Achiever are required to do so.
The Honors Program will approve participation in the following:
MAGIC events/speakers
GIST events/speakers (Pelz Global Speakers Series)
Humanities Series speakers/events or participation in Socrates Cafe
History month and celebrations of cultural diversity and inclusion events, such as Black History Month, Latinx History Month, Asian-Pacific Islander History Month, Women’s History Month, International week, and other similar events
Speakers or events specifically sponsored by academic departments (For example, STEM speakers or Writers Center author readings)
Participation at conferences, local, regional, or national, such as Skyway or our Research in Action poster session
Active participation within a student club or organization--attending meetings and/or events.
Shorter-term study abroad programs
Service projects, community activism, and volunteering on campus or in the community during the student’s time at ECC and in Honors
Participation in ECC or other sponsored internships
Students can submit requests for experiences not “pre-approved” by the Honors Program as well as for experiences that require a greater commitment to count toward multiple hours of engagement within this category. For example, if the student gives a formal presentation at a conference or is involved in the planning and execution of an event beyond attendance, the student can request to earn more hours of credit.
Honors students can also submit a request that experiences that take place at work, such as training or workshops or service, count toward meeting these expectations. Students can request that up to 1 full point be met through work-related experiences. The request can be made using the same Campus and Community Engagement Google Form, and previously approved sample requests can be shared upon request. Here is a link to the form: Honors Campus and Community Engagement Form