Gabriella Small – Layout Editor
Many students at Broward College are diligent, hard workers who come from many walks of life and juggle the hardships of everyday life with their studies.
Some students, however, want to spice up their academic life by adding in an extra challenge that can test their learning abilities to the limits. Broward’s Honors College comes in to satisfy the needs of those types of students while also giving them tremendous opportunities for their efforts.
Founded in 1982, The Robert “Bob” Elmore Honors College, referred to in this article as Broward’s Honors College, is named in recognition of the late Fort Lauderdale philanthropist who supported a myriad of different non-profit organizations throughout his lifetime.
His contributions to Broward College exceeded $1 million and led to a strengthening of academic programs, an establishment of scholarships and an endowed teaching chair. Today, this academic program offered by Broward College allows students to partake in honors courses that provide a focused version of general education studies, as well as added range and depth to a student’s educational experience.
Students take 15-18 credit hours of these courses along with their regular degree to receive an honors certificate or degree. Gaining an honors certificate or degree opens students to a heightened chance of scholarship possibilities and gives a strong asset to add to one’s college resume.
At Broward College alone, honors students are given the chance to apply for Honors exclusive scholarships such as the IRM Scholar Award, which covers up to 30 credits per academic year plus a book stipend, or the Honors Grant for Study Abroad, which offers scholarship support to Honors students who are interested in participating in Broward College’s international study abroad programs.
Honors students who join and compete in events such as the Brain Bowl and Math Team are also given a chance to take advantage of scholarships that are offered specifically to them.
Honors college members also have access to joining academic teams such as Forensics, a competitive speaking activity, Model United Nations, a team that researches, debates and engages with problems and ideas that have an international impact, and an Honors Society named Pi Theta Kappa that adds distinction to your honors experience.
A benefit that can often be ignored when making the decision to join Broward’s Honors College is a smaller class size.
Former Honors student Robert Curran, 35, who’s intended career path is doing research and development in genetics, cited that having a smaller class size was a major difference he found in Honors courses compared to regular courses.
“Having more one-on-one time with the professor because there are less students around” can strengthen a student’s commitment to a course while also increasing their chances of being successful, he said.
While there are specific honors courses provided at Broward College, a student can also turn their non-honors courses into an honors credit through the Honors by Contract system. There are many ways to achieve this honors credit, but Curran achieved his by helping a professor with Pi Day preparations.
Overall, Curran felt his experience at the Honors College wasn’t extremely challenging and that “the
school in general helped me out in preparing me for my career path,” especially when being recognized by colleges he would potentially transfer to.
To apply for the Robert “Bob” Elmore Honors College, you can visit broward.edu/academics/honors and fill out either application form based on whether you are a current or incoming student. Dual Enrollment students can also participate in this program by completing a form.
For additional information about the Robert “Bob” Elmore Honors College, please visit broward.edu/academics/honors FAQ page and feel free to contact any of the members listed on the Contact Us page.
