Honors Advising

Honors Advising Philosophy

Honors advising at JCCC is meant to help each honors student successfully complete the honors program, find meaning and challenge in their academic coursework, and become leaders as students and citizens in a global community. Conversations with honors advisors are meant to help you understand and challenge your world views, characteristics, values, and motivations (NACADA, 2006).

We want to get to know you! Honors advising will ask you to be open about your goals and dreams so that we can intentionally design a plan together for your JCCC journey inside and outside of the classroom. Through honors reflections and follow-up conversations, you’ll be able to deliver on those plans and reflect on how those experiences have shaped your education.

Objectives of Honors Advising

  • Connect you to resources on and off of JCCC’s campus for support, challenge, growth, and exploration
  • Ensure that you have an educational plan that not only meets degree requirements, but also stretches your abilities and accommodates your aspirations and interests
  • Get to know your motivations and dreams so that advising conversations can find paths on and off campus that will move you toward these goals
  • Ensure that you have a plan to complete the honors program through meaningful academic and exploratory experiences
  • Help you process through the learning that occurs in your courses and exploratory experiences

Ideas modified from NACADA (2008) and NCHC’s Advising for Today’s Honors Students (Edgington, 2023)

Expectations for Advisees

To make the most of your advising experience in honors, it is important that you take ownership in the following:

  • Schedule advising appointments in advance when possible (reserve drop-in appointments for quick questions) and attend all scheduled appointments. Can’t make it or running late? Send an email to let us know.
  • Come prepared to have open conversations about courses and exploratory goals.
  • Follow through with plans that we set in meetings. Much of the honors experience happens outside of the honors office, and it’s up to you to take accountability toward those pieces of your journey.

Expectations for Advisors

Honors advisors want to offer you the best experience in honors to ensure that your time here challenges you and connects you with opportunities for learning and growth. We work to consistently

  • be knowledgeable resources: we will not have the answer to every question, but we work to stay informed on the resources you have on campus so that we can make referrals when needed to get your questions answered.
  • be good listeners: we are interested in how your personal vision overlaps with honors experiences in and out of the classroom. We can only do that if we understand you and your goals, or sometimes the barriers that are keeping you from achieving your goals at the moment.
  • keep scheduled appointments and come prepared for them when you schedule at least one day in advance. Each advisor has an open calendar that you can access below.

Honors Advising Team

Regan Baker

  • When should you meet with Regan?
    • For questions about honors courses
    • For questions about honors completion and honors requirements
  • Schedule an appointment with Regan in person or online (or email rbaker55@jccc.edu) – or submit your Honors Completion Map for feedback on your plan to finish honors requirements.

Melissa Nolan

  • When should you meet with Melissa?
    • For questions about exploratory experiences
    • For questions about reflections
    • For questions about LEAD 130
  • Schedule an appointment with Melissa in person or online (or email mnolan13@jccc.edu).

Honors Advising References

  • Bloom, J. L., Hutson, B. L. & He, Y. (2008). The appreciative advising revolution. Stipes.
  • Edgington, E. E. (Ed.). (2023). Advising for today’s honors students. National Collegiate Honors Council.
  • NACADA: The Global Community for Academic Advising. (2006). NACADA concept of academic advising. https://www.nacada.ksu.edu/Resources/Pillars/Concept.aspx