by Alina Blasdell
March 1, 2024

After a long pause due to the pandemic, the Genesee Community College’s Honors
Program is back in business. The Honors Program offers a unique opportunity for students to personalize and enrich their college experience. From encouraging a deeper exploration of courses to making connections with peers, faculty, and more, this program has much to offer.

Members of the program are required to take and pass two contract courses, complete 15 hours of community service, and submit a capstone project. A contract course is when a student draws up a contract for a course they are already taking with their professor. The contract details an extra assignment or honors component to the course that no other student must do. Any course can be made into a contract course.

Next, the community service hours or “Scholars’ Days of Service,” can be compiled from multiple areas, including but not limited to volunteering in the community, serving as an officer for a school club, or helping at a school event. Finally, the capstone project requires the student to find a member of the faculty to be their advisor and complete a project that can be about any specific interest or theme that they want to explore in more detail.

All these things must be done before graduating from GCC but other than that, there is no required timeline or due dates. Despite what people often believe, this program is flexible and can be a wonderful opportunity for all GCC students, no matter where they are at in their life or academic career.

“It takes a student who has the initiative to go above and beyond,” said Coordinator of the Honors Program and Professor of Criminal Justice Karen Wicka. “Honors is for a student who looks into the future and can see the importance of it. But also, I just think it takes hard work, so I think sometimes people become intimidated and sell themselves short and think, ‘Well I’m just not smart enough to do that,’ and I’ve learned in my life that you do not have to be the smartest person in the world, but you should be the hardest working.”

Upon completion of the Honors Program, both completion of the contract courses and the entire program will be noted on the official transcripts. “This will make you stand out amongst a crowd for any future schools or jobs that you wish to apply to,” Wicka said. Honors Program members will also receive recognition at college events and at GCC’s graduation ceremony.

Applicants need a GPA of 3.25 or higher and a completed application! It’s as easy as that. You’ll find the application form through the GCC website at https://www.genesee.edu/academics/honors/. Once submitted, the Honors Committee will review your application. “Try it. If it’s not for you, you don’t have to finish it,” Wicka said.