Service Participation in Honors Colleges

• In Event: Marriott Roundtable Session 9
  In Roundtable Session: Service and Support: Interrogating Structures of Engagement in Higher Education

Abstract

Honors programs are a fundamental part of many colleges and universities, offering opportunities for students to become involved in meaningful activities including engaging in service. However, these programs vary greatly in their programmatic features, with only 30% of all honors college’s offering community engagement as part of their curriculums. The present study aims to support the literature of experiential education in honors collages by comparing the academic outcomes of honors college students at a Midwestern university who participate in service activities within the honors college program with peers who do not. We examine the relation of service participation with academic success of honors college students as measured by students’ cumulative GPA, credits, retention and graduation for four different student cohorts.

Authors

• Isabel Lopez, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

• Geoffrey M. Maruyama, University of Minnesota

• Andrew Furco, University of Minnesota

• Natalia Villamizar, Roca Services Washington

• Teresa Cordova, University of Illinois at Chicago