By Braden Weinel//
Craig Laufer and Karen Hoffman will be stepping down as co-directors of the Hood College honors program at the end of the fall semester.
Laufer, who is also now the co-chair of the biology department, said that directing the honors college is a lot of added work for Hoffman and himself.
Shannon Kundey and Lisa Algazi-Marcus will be the new co-chairs of the honors program starting Jan 4., 2021.
The honors program at Hood offers selected students the opportunity to take more discussion-based classes with an interdisciplinary curriculum. They focus on developing certain learning skills like critical thinking.
The grading in honors courses is based mostly on class participation and writing assignments. Laufer said that there are very few tests.
Selected honor students receive a $2,000 scholarship for each year they remain in the program. To graduate from the Hood honors program, students must maintain a 3.25 GPA.
Honors students are required to take one honors course each semester. These classes can be used as “wild cards” to put in place of core classes. Laufer said that the use of “wild cards” makes scheduling classes much easier and more flexible.
The honors program also creates an environment for students from all majors. The classes are designed to let students with different perspectives and different interests interact with each other and work together.
“The honors program lets the students find a smaller niche on campus,” Laufer said.
In a normal year, the honors program plans social events for all honors students. On Monday mornings in Corner Cottage, students in the honors program are invited to enjoy a breakfast spread and have access to the office kitchen.
Students have the option to drop the honors program if they decide it’s not the right fit for them.
Junior Brandi Davidson dropped the honors program after the spring semester of her freshman year. She said that the honors program is tough to complete for students completing the STEM majors.
“It directly interferes with the time slots offered for some major classes that are required for graduation,” Davidson said.
With the addition of extra classes for honors students, Davidson said that it adds a lot of stress. She also said that she witnessed her friend abandon hopes of a double major because of her obligation to the honors program.
Hood selects approximately 150 students to join the honors program each year, but the program is expanding to more students.
Laufer said that the honors program at Hood has a lot of benefits, but it’s not for everyone.
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