The Director's Minute
Temporada 2026
The Civic Triad: Leading with Purpose
Shared Experiences Not Shared Schedules
Why (an) Online (Honors College (?)
por Dr. Jim Ross-Nazzal, Director of the HCC Online Honors College
Education is not about learing stuff for your own self-interest. Education is about becoming a better citizen, a more thoughtful community member, a leader with judgement, honesty, and integrity.
Online students have different starting points so a cohort cannot be kept together through a shared schedule. I keep my online cohorts together by creating a shared experince.
It's about balance: work, fam, friends, hobbies (especially Dungeons & Dragons), stuff PLUS college. And, college on a level above your peers because you accept the challenge.
This is our kick-off episode. In 60 seconds I do my impersonation of the Whos in Whoville. I let you know that we exist. The Online Honors College exists to assist highly motivated students not limited by geography, work schedules, family responsibilities, or access to a physical campus. We provide highly motivated students with an engaging, supportive, and a more personalized experience designed specifically for the online environment. Our purpose is not simply to place traditional honors courses on the internet, but to build a distinct community in which students are challenged to use evidence-based reasoning over knee-jerk echoing, thoughtful and effective communication over social media all caps screaming, meaningful research, to connect their education with leadership, service, and professional growth. Through enriched coursework, faculty mentorship, collaborative experiences, cultural programming, and a shared experience model, the Online Honors College gives students both the flexibility of online learning and the depth of an honors education. We exist for students whose experiences, ambition, and curiosity needs to be cultivated, regardless of where or how they attend college. We also exist to demonstrate that online education can be personal, demanding, innovative, and transformative. At its core, the Online Honors College creates access to opportunity while maintaining the expectations of terrestrial honors colleges. The OHC at HCC gives students with the right fit a community in which to grow, and a platform from which to pursue their academic, professional, and personal goals.