Over 140 students enrolled as of Aug. 23
By John Mahoney
Within the upcoming school year the KU Honors Program will receive the largest group of students yet.
The KU Honors Program has been a mainstay on campus for a multitude of years, helping enthusiastic students engage in captivating work.
Andrew Vogel, program director, said the substantial increase in enrolled students is due to consistent efforts to improve KU’s Honors Program. This improved program is more focused on students as individuals than on their GPAs.
“We brought in a really huge class this year, and that’s amazing. It’s a testament to the vitality of Kutztown University and the energy that our honors community is building,” Vogel said. “We have always had a huge focus on inclusivity, and it’s evident that more and more people are beginning to envision themselves as a part of our community.”
KU Honors welcome week with the peer mentor program
Photo Credit: Breann Craley
The number of peer mentors in the KU Honors Program has also grown alongside the increase in students. The initiative was launched in 2019 to help freshmen connect with peers and get them more involved with campus activities.
In past years, the Peer Mentor groups have faced challenges with retention and participation. Largely, many freshmen struggled to meet the requirements of the program.
In response, administrators of the Peer Mentor groups began to encourage competition to get the freshmen involved. Vogel said that this friendly competition will motivate KU’s newest group of students and keep them on track with all of their graduation requirements.
The coursework required to graduate with University Honors includes five honors-credit classes, two course-by-contracts, attendance at eight living-and-learning events and WIPS (Work in Progress showcases), 30 hours of community service, and a Capstone Project.
The Capstone Project is a major-oriented research and presentation project that urges students to immerse themselves in their field of interest. Eventually, the student will present their finished project off-campus in a professional environment.
To examine the effectiveness of these new operations, Vogel and graduate assistant Breann Craley have been compiling research on the benefits of the Peer Mentor Program.
When Vogel and Craley began changing the student group in 2022, they started by tracking student involvement, aiming to eventually publish their work.
“Early findings show evidence of clear benefits,” Vogel said.
The tracked data includes retention rates, student participation, surveys from community members, and focus group samples.
“With our mentor program strengthening over the past few years, especially with this current group of mentors, we’re hoping to see larger groups with higher retention rates,” Vogel said.
“In four years or so, we may see an overwhelming number of Honors graduates. Thinking about the scale of it all is already a little scary. It could be a potential issue, but by all means, it’s a very good problem to have.”
As the fall semester continues, the Honors program is preparing for its upcoming trip to the 2025 National Book Festival hosted by the Library of Congress. The event will take place Sept. 6 and is open to 45 first-year students on a first-come, first-served basis.
Vogel said the usual WIPS, presentations, and trips that students have come to expect will continue this semester.
For more information on the KU Honors Program, visit the official webpage.