The Honors College became Eastern Michigan University's
sixth official college more than a year ago. However, when
it comes to visibility on campus, the selective program
hasn't exactly commanded a place of honor.
Instead of being showcased in a prominent and easy-to-find
location, the program was tucked away in Wise Hall, a residence
hall on an unmarked street at the edge of campus. Its office
suite, situated on a first floor that's atop a flight of
stairs, was a converted student lounge.
 |
HONORED SITE: Eastern Michigan University's
Honors
College has a new, more easy-to-navigate
Web site.
The college, now officially EMU's sixth,
also has new
offices in Starkweather Hall. |
"It was always fun to try to give directions," said
Jim Knapp, director of the Honors College. "...You make
your way up the stairs and, when you come out into the
hallway, you'll see a janitorial closet. Turn left and
you'll see the Honors College."
But Honors is about to move front and center, with new
offices in Starkweather Hall. The move is expected to be
completed around mid-September. The college also recently
replaced its functional-but-clunky Web site with a much
more dynamic, easy-to-navigate version — the
virtual equivalent of moving out of Wise.
"In (becoming) a college, we were really interested
in raising the profile of academics," Knapp said. "This
will help us get the word out."
The physical move puts the Honors College in a much more
central location and associates it with a distinctive,
historic building. Built in 1896 as a gathering place for
students, Starkweather is the oldest building still standing
on campus, and its history and authenticity complement
the Honors College's image.
The college will move into the space previously occupied
by Graduate Studies, which is moving to Boone Hall. Honors
also has classroom space in Rackham and a satellite office
in Downing Hall, the new Honors residence hall. The old
offices in Wise will revert to residence hall space, Knapp
said.
And just as moving to Starkweather will put the program's
offices in the mainstream of campus, the new Web site is
designed to make the college more attractive to visitors
who might virtually wander by.
Knapp; Rhonda DeLong, director of Web communications and
new media; instructional technologist Suzanne Szopo
(now Web creative manager) and writer Jim Manney worked
together for months to refine the site, which is still
being evaluated and improved. By putting four minds to
work on the project, DeLong said they ended up with not
only a better result but also a promising model for collaborative
projects in other parts of the University.
"With the Web site, one of the things we wanted to
do is make it clear what honors is," Knapp said. "The
honors program has been around over 20 years. As a college,
it makes it a little clearer that it's an academic curriculum,
not a grade point-triggered award. The Honors College has
an academic set of requirements students have to complete,
and the Web site is aimed at making that clear."
The new Web site meets the needs of visitors from both
on and off campus. Students can find advisers, honors requirements
and applications quickly. Honors senior theses will be
published there and alumni can get a look at what's happening
in the college. Meanwhile, prospective students and their
parents can see what the college is all about without having
to wade through information they don't need.
"The old Web site was hard to navigate, and it just
wasn't aesthetically in tune with what we wanted," Knapp
said. "We wanted it to be at the level of the students
in the college and I feel like they now have a Web site
they can be proud of."
