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Honors College supports diverse students

Honors College supports its most diverse cohort of students

By: Ashley Wilson

Thursday, February 22, 2024

Students pose with Kristy Sheeler at the 2022 Honors Peer Mentor Program Welcome Event.

The Honors College continuously tries to build a diverse group of students within the program while supporting their success. Administrative modifications within Honors, such as test blindness related to SAT and ACT score submissions and additional application deadlines are among the efforts made to break down barriers to admission.

“The Honors College offers wrap-around student support, smaller class sizes, personalized research and other engaged learning experiences, peer mentoring, study and programming space, and a small community of curious and motivated students with whom to interact in and out of the classroom," Kristy Sheeler, dean of the Honros College, said. "Students from all backgrounds should have the opportunity to pursue an honors education on our campus."

As Honors has increased these efforts, a clear correlation has emerged linked to enrollment increases among underrepresented populations. The proportions of honors students who are Latinx, African American, two or more races, first-generation, or 21st Century Scholars have grown since 2017.

Incoming Honors Scholars	FL 2017	FL 2018	FL 2019	FL 2020	FL 2021	FL 2022	2023	% Change 2017 - 2023
Latinx	1.5%	4.2%	2.4%	5.81%	4.6%	6.7%	8.1%	+440%
African American	1%	1.4%	1.2%	1.2%	5.2%	5.3%	3.5%	+250%
Two or More Races	2.83%	4.19%	3.59%	2.91%	5.75%	6.25%	7.1%	+150%
First Gen	12.8%	11.6%	9%	14.5%	15.5%	14%	13.3%	+4%
21C Scholar	7.1%	4.2%	1.2%	6.9%	3.4%	4.3%	8.5%	+20%

Diversity initiatives within Honors are supported and driven by faculty and staff. Joseph Tucker Edmonds, a professor of religious and Africana studies in the School of Liberal Arts, serves as a faculty fellow for diversity, equity, and public scholarship. Edmonds believes that all aspects of student success, not just academic success, should be recognized within Honors.

“We understand that excellence comes in different packages and different forms, and that speaks to how we think about the students in the Honors College,” Edmonds said. “As we think about diversity, we’re not only talking about racial diversity, but we’re talking about diversity of experiences that folks bring to the Honors College. The way that folks approach the college experience is broad and diverse, and we need to highlight and make space for those different types of excellence.”

Both inside and outside the classroom, Edmonds focuses on supporting students.

“I have weekly office hours that I’ve been promoting, trying to tell students, ‘Come talk to me, let’s plan, let’s think, let’s strategize.’ I’ve also been working with Dean Sheeler to look at HON-H 200 and think about ways that we can make Honors, from the very moment that folks take the class, more accessible and more engaging,” Edmonds said.

HON-H 200 is a required Intro to Honors course implemented in fall 2022. The course aims to help Honors students feel comfortable within their identities in the program while facilitating connections with faculty, staff, and peers. Megan Goley is a peer mentor who specifically assists professors and students within the HON-H 200 course.

“Being able to be up at the front of the class co-teaching with professors is a full-circle experience because, as a student new to the honors program, I greatly appreciated my mentors and professors," Goley said. "Now, as a mentor myself, I know firsthand how much hard work and heart goes into classes and how much professors and mentors are rooting for their students to succeed in school and life."

Peer mentors are an integral part of efforts to support Honors students. Sheeler stated that students with peer mentors have slightly higher retention rates than other Honors students. Peer mentors uphold and further diversity efforts by using their unique backgrounds to support students. One of these mentors is Faith Odiete, a first-generation Nigerian American.

“I understand the struggle of navigating college for the first time," Odiete said. "My personal goal as a mentor is to provide mentorship tailored to individual needs, recognizing and appreciating the unique strengths and challenges that my mentees bring from diverse backgrounds."

There’s a lot in store for future diversity efforts as the program has a few potential goals. Sheeler discussed the possibility of expanding the potential for donors and contributions made to scholarships, study abroad, and research opportunities in hopes of increasing engagement for all groups of students. Sheeler also expressed that the program hopes to eventually have a population that fully mirrors the overall diverse population at IUPUI.

For more information, contact the Division of Undergraduate Education Office of Communications at duecomm@iupui.edu.

Honors College supports its most diverse cohort of students

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