Samantha Smith
Published: April 27, 2005
Any student may enter Honors courses with a letter of recommendation from a teacher, preferably someone from a field that is relevant to the class the student is interested in taking.
Students with an overall 3.5 GPA or better may also enter an Honors course by going to the desired course’s instructor and asking permission.
The program’s intent is to enroll students immediately after high school graduation, which may seem to be a disadvantage to older returning students or other students already enrolled at PJC. Students may enter the Honors program as sophomores, but the downfall may be that they have already fulfilled their credits for the required subjects. Thus, they have to take extra courses to earn what they need for an Honors degree. But Dr. Charlie Schuler, the director of the program, said sophomores are more than welcome to enter the program and have done so in the past.
One component of the program is overseas study in Italy or at the University of Cambridge in England. The trip to Italy is spent with Schuler as historical guide. Students have the opportunity to gain three to six college credit hours as they visit such sites as the Vatican and the Sistine Chapel.
The excursion to Cambridge (which is one of the Western world’s oldest and most prestigious universities) is available to all students. It involves extensive reading before the students depart, two major papers, several journal entries on provided lectures, and a group video documentation project. Socially, the trip gives students the opportunity to interact with others from all over the world and see places like Holland or France on weekend excursions.
According to Schuler the overseas study program in the past few years has “been better than ever.”
The Robinson Foundation helps fund a portion of overseas trip for Honors students. The foundation was set up by Grover and Jill Robinson to preserve the legacy of Grover’s parents, Sandra and Grover, who were killed in a helicopter crash five years ago.
“The Robinsons have donated a very substantial financial gift to the PJC Foundation,” Schuler said.
This donation is then matched by the state of Florida.
The Robinson family’s donation has enabled Honors students to learn from some of the most prestigious teachers at Cambridge and enjoy the excursion to Italy with Schuler as guide.
The Robinson room, located in Building 4, is a favorite “hang out” for Honors students and others who may be interested in the conversations or study sessions there. The room creates a friendly atmosphere that includes computers, a reference library and students who are willing to assist their fellow peers, said Honors student Charles Allen.
Honors students and others who are interested enjoy regional field trips sponsored by the program. One of these is a periodic excursion to St. Petersburg to visit two world-class museums, the Salvador Dali and the Ringling museums.
A key component to the program, according to Schuler, is to “create a strong bond among students.” But he believes that bond has been less cohesive over the last two years.
In the past, the program has always had an orientation for students, a beach party, a community project, and a minimum of three local field trips. This year there was none of those things and only one field trip- primarily because of Hurricane Ivan.
He said he has challenged the freshmen to regain the bond for next year.
This year, the program has about 50 students, but next year’s enrollment could approach 70 or more. In July Schuler plans to have a social event at the beach to meet the students one on one. An orientation for the program will be sometime in June.
According to Schuler any student can become an Honors scholar by completing the required classes and having the necessary GPA. He said the Honors program’s intent is to awaken students to a whole new world of opportunities for personal and intellectual growth.