Structure

 

Each fall, incoming Honors students participate in the Honors College First-Year Experience (FYE) Program. Every first-year student must enroll in one FYE class, an Honors section of an introductory-level class designated specifically for our first-year students. These courses are taught by some of our best faculty members, include only first-year Honors students, and are small in size.

Each FYE course utilizes two extensively trained, upper-level Honors students who serve as Mentors. FYE Mentors attend the lecture course to which they are attached and teach weekly for an hour and a half in a Learning Community Group (LCG) session which offers one credit hour.

Please note that LCG sessions do not provide content-based supplemental discussion or instruction additional to the FYE course, but rather provide students with the resources and information they will need to be successful in the Honors College and at the University level during their first year and beyond, as well as experience in respectful and reflective academic discussions on difficult topics.

 

 

Philosophy

 

When we talk about Honors to others, we often describe it as being similar to a small liberal-arts college embedded within a large research university. The FYE program is the first place students benefit from this unique combination. In LCG meetings, we aim to establish a community among our entering students, and thus create the basis for a continually rich learning environment.

We, as an Honors community, believe that having the ability to think critically, communicate ideas effectively, and take action concerning complex issues are all a part of becoming a well-educated person. Honors Mentors will encourage students to consider their own personal values and goals, and then introduce opportunities to match these values and goals. LCG will help you begin thinking about ways to prepare for your future at Tech, graduate school, and beyond.

Beginning in Fall 2016, the LCG sections attached to all FYE courses include six LCG sessions organized around special topics we expect that most students will encounter, in some form, during their collegiate careers. Topics in these six LCG sessions will include mental health and academic success strategies, sexual assault and rape culture, gender and sexuality, race and ethnicity, micro aggressions, and addiction. These sessions will be carefully planned and facilitated by FYE faculty members with the support of each course's assigned pair of extensively-trained student mentors. Our aim and hope for introducing these topics of discussion within the FYE program is to provide our students with the foundational vocabulary needed to deal with issues they will face in a diverse and nuanced global society with courage and integrity.

 

 

 

LCG meetings provide:

• A chance to form lasting and impactful relationships with your peers and Honors professors.

• Information on how to be academically and personally successful in the Honors College and at Texas Tech.

• An opportunity to become acquainted with the people, programs, and opportunities that make the Honors College a unique place to learn.

• Helpful information from campus departments and faculty members.

• A unique forum for respectful discussion of special topics.

In your LCG you will:

• Find ways to connect to your new university and the Lubbock community.

• Further develop critical thinking skills.

• Learn about study abroad programs.

• Participate in community service opportunities.

• Develop a professional cover letter and resume.

• Participate in professional academic discussion.

• Be invited to engage in mentor, faculty, and expert-led discussions of topics relevant in a diverse and global society.

The LCG is a one-credit course that must be completed in order to retain membership in the Honors College. There will be some written work and outside investigation required in order to meet the FYE Program requirements.