The Honors Program at Sinclair was established in the mid-1980s at the initiative of Dean Clifford Barr at a time when many community colleges were beginning to develop Honors curricula. Dr. Mary Navarro was appointed to convene a committee to develop an academic Honors Program within the Division of Liberal Arts and Sciences. The committee drew up plans to offer a variety of course offerings in both core and special topics. The Board of Trustees approved the program and an operating budget. The Honors Committee was formally established to assist the Director, oversee the program, develop criteria for Honors course proposals, and recruit students and faculty.
We offered our first two courses (English 112 and Math 116) as pilots during the Winter Quarter of 1987. The program soon expanded to include psychology, history, biology, humanities, and physics courses. During the 1990s, we branched into other divisions and departments, including fine arts, business, and communications. Interdisciplinary courses were first developed under a Sinclair Foundation grant for faculty planning. Interdisciplinary courses are an essential feature of any Honors program and are a key part of articulation agreements with four-year institutions.
The Sinclair Honors Program is an institutional member of the National Collegiate Honors Council (NCHC) and the Mid-East Honors Association (MEHA). We have articulation agreements with the University of Dayton, Wright State University, Miami University, the University of Cincinnati, and Wittenberg University, and students who complete our program are eligible for special scholarships at these institutions.