(This memo is sent to Advisors of Honors candidates requesting that they choose an orals examination committee and informing them of the Honors Committee representative assigned to the oral examination shortly after statements of intent are due).
From: Faith Barrett for the Committee on Honors
Subject: Appointment of Honors Examining Committee
If your honors advisee [whose name is noted here] still intends to submit an honors thesis or project, will you please select an examining committee to read the thesis and conduct the oral examination? If your advisee does not intend to submit an honors thesis or project, please inform the Committee on Honors as soon as possible. The Committee relies on advisors to maintain contact with students working on projects, and suggests strongly that, if you have not yet seen a near-final draft, you consult with the student to assess the likelihood that a completed project worthy of honors will be submitted.
The examining committee must comprise at least three persons: the project’s faculty advisor, one voting faculty member not in the advisor's department, and one other voting faculty member. The examining committee should be carefully selected to utilize the best available faculty expertise appropriate to the topic of the honors project. The appointment of an examining committee is the responsibility of the faculty advisor; it is not the responsibility of the student who is submitting the project.
In addition, the Honors Committee has assigned [the faculty member whose name is noted here] as its representative. S/he will also review the paper and attend the oral examination. Please contact the Committee representative when scheduling the examination. (If you had planned on using this person as an examining committee member, immediately notify Faith Barrett, Chair of the Honors Committee, who will assign a different Honors Committee representative.)
Examinations are to be scheduled at a time convenient to the student and the committee (including the Honors Committee representative) at some time between Friday, May 16 and Friday, May 30, inclusive. Most examinations last no more than two hours. All members of the committee must be present for the entire examination; when scheduling the examination make sure that everyone will be available for the entire session. Please fill out the attached form and return it no later than 11 a.m. on Wednesday, May 7, to Faith Barrett, Main Hall.
Please remind your advisee that four copies of the completed honors paper must be registered with Corinne Wocelka in the Library by 3 p.m. on Tuesday, May 13. The Committee on Honors will grant an extension of the deadline only for causes beyond the student's control and upon receipt of a written petition, endorsed by the project advisor, sent to Faith Barrett well in advance of the deadline. Please keep your student alert to the deadline. No changes to the paper, other than minor corrections the examining committee may suggest, may be made after that date.
Please note that while the four copies of the thesis must be submitted to Ms. Wocelka in the Library, all other forms, statements, and reports must be submitted to Faith Barrett, Chair of the Honors Committee, in the Main Hall faculty office.
Copies of the criteria for honors in independent study, guidelines for your report to the honors committee, and a sample of the signature page are enclosed. Note particularly that the advisor’s report to the Honors Committee is due to Faith Barrett by 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, June 4.