BYU's self-study, released to the public just mid-January, proposes the near-elimination of the honors program as it now exists, replacing it with a weaker course of study under a new "dean of undergraduate studies." The self-study committee contends that by dismantling the current version of honors and moving it under the jurisdiction of undergraduate studies, the university can disseminate talented professors and funds throughout campus to reach a wider range of students.
The study calls for a semblance of an honors program, such as requiring students to write a thesis or complete honors-type courses within a major, but the challenging honors symposiums and the fascinating forum for ideas will be gone.The committee rationalizes that by dismantling honors, it can use its budget and professors to deal with one of BYU's recurring problems: a weak freshman class. BYU's freshman dropout rate is between 20 percent and 30 percent, which is very high (the figure does not include students who marry or leave on missions).
The study makes three important suggestions that are designed to counteract the high dropout figure. First, BYU must give more attention to first-year students. They require thoughtful academic guidance and mentoring. Second, more effective learning takes place when class sizes are smaller. And third, a wider range of students need exposure to the most talented faculty members.
At the same time, the self-study admits - and admits correctly - that out of all the departments at BYU, honors does the best job of meeting these goals.
In short, for its stated goals, the honors program works and works well. Currently BYU is one of the top 10 universities in attracting National Merit Scholars from high schools. The honors program is a big draw for talented students who otherwise would not come to BYU.
The study proposes "spreading the resources available through honors to a wider group of entering students." Such a proposal will spread these resources, yes, but it will spread them thin like melted butter on toast, barely visible. Class sizes may decrease from 75 to just under 70 - a small change. BYU's best professors will be unable to give students the individual attention they now have from honors courses.
The honors students are of the school of generalists. Increasingly, BYU has moved further and further from the liberal arts education that has made universities like Harvard, Yale and Brown great. Honors is BYU's department of purists, where learning takes place for the sheer sake of discovery, for the joy of it, and not for its coming financial rewards.
Brent Mosher
Provo