College students seeking a challenge often find themselves in classes that don’t fulfill their intellectual abilities. The Mercer Honors program offers more rigorous options for qualified students in this population.
In terms of reaching as many students as possible, changes in the program over the years have caused shifts in how accessible Honors classes are for diverse populations of students.
The underlying question of whether or not the Honors program is able to attract students from all walks of life can be boiled to one main issue: price.
Back in 2013, the college, which had already established an Honors program on its own, outsourced it to a for profit organization called American Honors.
American Honors was aimed at offering outside networks for students to tap into but it was accompanied with a hefty price tag.
Eugene Mok, current Honors Program Coordinator and Success Coach, was not in his position at the time of American Honors, but he does have knowledge of the program.
Mok says, “It was extravagant. It seemed like it was just way too much”.
Based on tuition data available for 2015 to 2016, American Honors cost students an additional $1,120 per semester beyond regular tuition.
The current price for the Mercer Honors classes is an additional $40 per credit or $80 for 4 credit classes such a MAT 151. But most students in the Honors program take only one or two Honors classes per semester, meaning this will typically be $80 in fees.
Dr. Bettina Caluori, director of the current Honors program, states, “We started the Mercer Honors group after we ended the partnership with American Honors, reducing costs. Financial aid will cover the fee for students who get financial aid. International students who don’t get financial aid can’t get that aid.”
Some students in the current Honors program are also getting large scholarships and transferring to top-tier four-year colleges and universities such as Princeton after leaving Mercer. Two students were members of the honors society, Phi Theta Kappa Honors students transferred to Princeton last year.”
Griffin Jones, a Caucasian student who graduated from MCCC in 2017, and is now a pre-law student at Columbia University, said there was less racial diversity in the program when he was in it and it was part of American Honors.
“I think most of the people within my classes were white,” said Jones.
He added, ”There was a fee that led to that impact.”
The company, American Honors, according to its website, is currently offered at two locations.
Former Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dr. David Edwards, who has since moved on to a job at Camden County College, worked to end the partnership with American Honors before he left in 2017.
He said at the time, in an interview with The VOICE, “In my first day of service at community college it became clear to me that there’s that thing out there called social justice [and that means] that everyone has a right to [college education], whether they came from a middle class background, like I did, or whether they are that student I just described who no one in their family has gone to college.”
Those high achieving, Honors eligible students who find the current fees outside of their price bracket have there is the option of financial aid to lean on.
However, there are some students that say the cost isn’t worth it.
Francess Akumagutu, an African-American nursing student who qualified for Honors is one of few who said he would have to pay out of pocket to take an Honors class.
Akumagatu said, “I was excited to take the classes, but when I found out the extra money required, I had to decline.”
Others feel the cost is worth the reward.
Kyle Goldware, an African-American Communications major at MCCC, is currently in the Honors program and pays out of pocket, but says the program is meaningful and inclusive.
Goldware says, “I do feel included. They do Honors meetings and reach out through emails. Eugene always sends emails and motivates us students when he can.”
CORRECTIONS: The following corrections were made to this article on February 22, 2021: The two students who transferred to Princeton were members of the Phi Theta Kappa Honors society, not specifically the Honors Program. The information about financial aid covering fees was clarified to indicate that it is International students who cannot qualify for financial aid. And fees for 4-credit classes such a Biology are $80 not $160 as originally suggested.
