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Members of the YHC SOLE (Student Opportunities for Leadership through Engagement) program are a select group of students who represent Young Harris College through outreach work, building relationships, and shared experiences in learning and leadership throughout our community. YHC SOLE members currently work at a mix of on and off campus community partner sites; they may work up to ten hours per week during the academic year and receive financial compensation through the College and federal work-study programs for their time and commitment. YHC SOLE members meet weekly to discuss local and global issues and determine ways to develop leadership in those areas. Through planning, discussion and reflection SOLE members create opportunities to serve their campus and local communities throughout the year. The program began at Young Harris College in 2009 as part of the national Bonner Leader program, but in 2015, the YHC SOLE program replaced Bonner in order to meet the specific needs of our region and allow us to evolve organically in the future. The program has twelve members. Applications will be accepted in the early spring for the following year as members graduate and positions open. Please contact Bethann Bowman at brbowman@yhc.edu for an application.
Ethics Across the Curriculum
Young Harris College instituted the Ethics Across the Curriculum (EAC) program during the Fall 2008 semester. The program has included workshops and luncheons on ethics in practice, ethical theories, intellectual virtues and teaching ethics.
Mission
The EAC program seeks to make ethical reflection a vital part of the ethos of Young Harris College. It promotes creative and critical conversations about virtues and values to enhance the mission of the college. The conversations cover topics about “how we might think,” “how we might act” and “who we might be,” and they take place among students, faculty and the rest of the YHC community. The program also provides resources to support faculty, administrators and staff who wish to integrate discussion of morals and values into classrooms, extracurricular programs or other initiatives.
Goals
The goals of the EAC program are to provide students and faculty with ways to attend authentically to ethical and moral dimensions of our lives and to risk making more virtuous and better informed decisions. After completing a four-year degree at YHC we expect students to be fluent in their use of values discourse, discretely applying terms such as “right,” “consequences,” “responsibility” and “excellence.” We also expect students to offer responsible reflections about prominent moral questions in their career paths and fields of study.
Honors Program
The Young Harris College Honors Program offers exciting intellectual challenges for students interested in maximizing their collegiate academic experience. Students enrolled in the YHC Honors Program take special courses reserved exclusively for Honors students. These courses are innovative, discussion-based, and taught by the best professors at the College. Students may select Honors sections of courses offered as part of the General Education Core Curriculum, one-hour seminars on special topics within various academic disciplines, or a combination of both types. Honors students also receive academic scholarships, priority registration for classes, and special opportunities for travel. Honors students also have the opportunity to earn a Bachelor’s Degree with Honors Distinction from Young Harris College.
Admissions Process for Incoming Freshmen
Prospective freshmen with outstanding High School GPAs and SAT/ACT scores are invited to apply to the Honors Program prior to enrolling at the College. Applications are reviewed twice a year and accepted members may enroll in the College with the benefits of program membership. Students admitted in the first round of applications are eligible to participate in Honors Program Scholarship Day and compete for the College’s top academic awards.
Admissions Process for Current Students
Students who do not enter the Honors Program as first-semester freshmen but wish to join after enrolling at the College may apply prior to earning 90 credit hours. The Honors Program admits a maximum of fifteen current students each year. Applying students must have a cumulative YHC GPA of 3.5 or better, submit references from YHC faculty and staff, as well as a writing sample.
Requirements for Remaining in the Honors Program
In order to remain in the Honors Program, students must successfully earn at least one Honors Designation each semester. Successful completion is defined as earning a “C” or better in an Honors course or seminar, having an Independent Honors Research Project approved by the student’s professor and the Honors Program Committee, or successfully appealing for an Honors Experience Designation. Students must also maintain a cumulative YHC GPA of 3.5 each academic year. Students’ cumulative YHC GPAs are verified at the end of each spring semester. The GPA requirement is not rounded, and each member is expected to monitor their progress and communicate with the committee as needed. Students who fail to earn at least one Honors or fail to maintain a cumulative 3.5 GPA at the end of each spring semester, will be dismissed from the Honors Program, lose Honors scholarships, and be prohibited from taking Honors courses. Students who wish to rejoin the Honors Program after being dismissed must reapply for admission.
Requirements for a Bachelor’s Degree with Honors Distinction
The goal for members of the Honors Program should be to earn a Bachelor’s Degree with Honors Distinction. Students entering the Honors Program fall semester of 2011 or later must earn a 3.5 cumulative GPA or better in order to graduate with a Honors Distinction. Additionally, a student must successfully earn twelve Honors Designations. Not every student in the Honors Program will earn a Degree with Honors distinction.
Members of the Honors Program should plan for the following to earn a Degree with Honors:
- 3-4 H sections;
- 2-4 HONR seminars;
- 2-4 IRPs (at least two of which are in the major);
- up to two HEDs
- 2 Capstone seminars
Independent Honors Research Project
Students may earn an Honors Designation in a non‐Honors class by completing a substantial Honors Independent Research Project (IRP). The project must be designed in consultation with the instructor of record in whose class the student is enrolled during the semester the project will be completed. Substantial IRPs should demonstrate a creative, learner-directed experience that is measurably broader, deeper, and/or more complex than general course requirements.
Because the IRP requires the guidance and accommodation of a cooperating instructor, it should not be assumed that an IRP can be completed in every course. If it is determined during advising and registration that a student cannot enroll in an Honors course for the semester, the student must seek permission from an instructor in one of the non-Honors courses in which the student registers prior to the end of registration. The IRP agreement should be signed and returned to the Honors Program Director immediately.
To earn approval, the instructor of record and Honors Program Committee must agree that the project meets or exceeds expected requirements. If the student’s work is approved by the instructor and the committee, the student will receive an Honors Designation for that course. This will be indicated on the student’s transcript, and the course will count toward the fulfillment of a Degree with Honors distinction. Students who do not submit the required project plan on time or who do not present the project by the end of the semester will not receive an Honors Designation for the project or course.
Requirements for Senior Capstone Project
To earn Honors Distinction at the Bachelor level, an Honors student must complete a senior capstone project. The Honors capstone project should be the high point or crowning achievement of an Honors student’s academic career at Young Harris College. Since each academic discipline has its own modes of inquiry and means of presenting knowledge, Honors capstone projects will vary by discipline.
Honors program students must publicly present their capstone work in the interest of contributing to the body of knowledge of the community. Each honors program student will select the members of a faculty committee that will advise the student through the project and assess it upon completion. One of the members will be the faculty member working most closely with the student in his or her major, one member will be the honors program director, and one member will be another faculty member of the student’s own choosing.
Each student must present his or her capstone project during spring semester prior to the start of the final exam period. The project and presentation will be assessed by the members of the student’s faculty committee. To be deemed successful, the capstone project and presentation must be deemed acceptable by all committee members in that it meets all expectations of the project and demonstrates complex processes representative of an Honors graduate. Students who make a successful capstone presentation and meet all other program and academic requirements will earn a Bachelor’s Degree with Honors Distinction from Young Harris College.
Honor Societies
Alpha Chi National College Honor Scholarship Society
Georgia Xi is the Young Harris College chapter of Alpha Chi, an academic honor society that recognizes and promotes excellence in scholarship among college and university students of good character. Classified as a general honor society, meaning that it accepts members from all academic fields, Alpha Chi inducts no more than the top 10 per cent of juniors and seniors relative to grade point average. Established in 1922, Alpha Chi has more than 300 chapters across the United States. Additional information regarding Alpha Chi can be found at www.alphachihonor.org.
Lambda Pi Eta Honor Society
The Omega Tau chapter of the international communication studies honor society Lambda Pi Eta was founded at Young Harris College in 2011.The honor society aims to recognize, foster and reward outstanding scholastic achievement in communication studies, promote and encourage professional development among communication majors and stimulate interest in the field of communication. Election to membership in Lambda Pi Eta is open to undergraduates enrolled as communication studies majors or minors with a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0 with 60 credit hours completed and 3.25 for communication studies courses with 12 credit hours completed.
Mu Phi Epsilon Professional Music Fraternity
The Zeta Kappa Chapter of Mu Phi Epsilon was founded at Young Harris College in 2011. Mu Phi Epsilon is an International Professional Music Fraternity whose purposes are the recognition of scholarship and musicianship and the promotion of friendship. Its aims are the advancement of music throughout the world, the promotion of musicianship and scholarship, loyalty to the Alma Mater, and the development of a true bond of friendship. Election to membership in Mu Phi Epsilon is based upon scholarship, musicianship and character. Undergraduates must be enrolled as music majors or minors and have attained at least second term freshman standing, with a minimum grade point average of 3.0 in music subjects and 2.0 in academic subjects.
Sigma Tau Delta
The Alpha Sigma Omicron chapter of the international English honor society Sigma Tau Delta was founded at Young Harris College in 2011. The primary objective of Sigma Tau Delta is to confer distinction upon students of the English language and literature in undergraduate, graduate and professional studies. The society also recognizes the accomplishments of professional writers who have contributed to the fields of language and literature. The organization strives to provide cultural stimulation on college campuses, serve society by fostering literacy and promote interest in literature and the English language in surrounding communities. Founded in 1924, the society has more than 800 active chapters. Election to membership in Sigma Tau Delta is open to undergraduates enrolled as English majors or minors with a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0, at least three semesters of coursework completed and a class rank in the highest 35 percent. The Alpha Sigma Omicron chapter of Sigma Tau Delta is organized in conjunction with the English Majors Organization (EMO) at Young Harris College.
Study‐Abroad
Information regarding international programs at Young Harris College is found at the Study Abroad Page of the College Website.
Online Learning
Moodle
The Learning Management System used at Young Harris College is Moodle. All syllabi are posted on Moodle and many professors post course notes, calendars, projects and tests on Moodle. To ensure a secure and consistent environment, Moodle usernames and passwords will be the same as the College network username and password.
Summer Online Courses
Young Harris College offers online courses for eight weeks during the summer, and all YHC students, other than first time freshmen, are eligible to take these course offerings. Online courses primarily use Moodle for course instruction, and each online student is required to pass a Moodle Orientation before gaining access to any online course.
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