CCC Honors Program

The Coffeyville Community College Honors Program was established in 1996 to:

• Foster the intellectual growth of highly qualified students.
• Promote critical thinking and the formation of a position through analysis and synthesis of issues.
• Strengthen community and professional leadership.
• Emphasize critical thinking centered around the great ideas of western civilization.
• Provide opportunities for and promote the importance of collaborative learning.
• Encourage students to strive for excellence in all aspects of their lives.

 Excellence

The characteristic most commonly shared by CCC Honors Program students is a commitment to excellence.  Honors Program students are highly motivated with a focus on continuing their educational journeys at appropriate universities.

Features

The experience of Honors Program students is enriched through opportunities provided by the John M. Rounds Visiting Professorship in Western Civilization.  Dr. James Woelfel, Director of the Western Civilization program at the University of Kansas, lectures to the CCC Honors Program students twice each year.

The Honors Coordinator serves as an advisor to Honors Program students, providing academic counseling and assistance in planning both short- and long-term educational and career goals.

Students also gain provisional membership in Phi Theta Kappa.

Eligibility

Approximately one-sixth of those students receiving Presidential Scholarships are invited to become CCC Honors Program students.  A selection committee takes into consideration ACT or SAT scores, letters of application, an interview, writing sample, high school GPAs, and other pertinent materials.  The selection process for the Fall semester takes place the preceding Spring, so that the Honors Coordinator may assist these students with their original enrollment.

Students interested in the CCC Honors Program should have well-developed English skills.  Many of the Honors classes are writing intensive with an emphasis on critical thinking.  They may require oral presentations and collaborative work with peers.  Students should be capable of writing in-class essay exams under time limits and participating fully in classroom discussions.

Curriculum

Coffeyville Community College Honors Program students have the opportunity for varied learning experiences.

The students enroll in special sections of regular courses taught by outstanding instructors in a stimulating environment.  The following core Honors courses are offered each school term:

• English Composition I: Honors
• English Composition II: Honors
• Comparative Humanities: Honors
• Public Speaking: Honors
• Western Civilization I: Honors
• Western Civilization II: Honors
• Honors Seminar

All Honors courses are identified as “Honors” on the student’s transcript.

The transcript also bears the words “Member CCC Honors Program” for the appropriate years.

Performance

Grading standards for Honors classes are higher than the standards at CCC for all student performance.  The students who produce quality work with quality effort earn quality grades.

Required Courses

Honors Program students are urged to take as many Honors courses as are consistent with their CCC educational goals.  The actuality is often different, however, due to the requirements of certain academic programs or a student’s particular schedule.

Enrollment in Comparative Humanities: Honors is required.  All special Honors Program activities are coordinated through this class.

Honors Program students produce the Honors newsletter The Prodigy three times a year.

Endowment

The CCC Honors Program has been endowed by alumni, friends, and the community.  In addition to the generous gift of alumnus John M. Rounds, NationsBank and Carolyn & K.O. Dixon are founding benefactors.  Through these gifts an endowment for the Program has been established by the CCC Foundation, ensuring its future and its growth.

For Information

Students who are interested in participating in the CCC Honors Program should call Honors Coordinator Bethanie Frank at (620) 251-7700, ext. 2188, or write via email at bethanief@coffeyville.edu.

Mr. John M. Rounds

The John M. Rounds Visiting Professorship in Western Civilization, which provides for a unique partnership between Coffeyville Community College and the University of Kansas through the Coffeyville Honors Program, was established by Mr. John M. Rounds through a $100,000 gift in 1997.

Mr. Rounds of Arroyo Grande, California, is a 1935 graduate of Coffeyville Community College.  He moved to Caney, Kansas with his parents at the age of nine months and attended high school there.  He received his undergraduate degree in 1937 and his law degree in 1939, both from the University of Kansas.  Following law school, he entered the oil business and continued in that field for thirty years.  In 1970, Mr. Rounds turned his interest toward commercial real estate.

Mr. Rounds was honored as CCC’s 1997 Distinguished Alumnus.  In 2001, a second major gift provided for renovation of the 337-seat Spencer/Rounds Performing Arts Theatre.