Spring 2024 NCHC Portz Grant Recipient

St. Mary's University of San Antonio

"Honoring St. Mary's Honors Faculty"

This proposal seeks funding to recruit interdisciplinary, research-focused, tenured and tenure track faculty to develop and implement a new curriculum for the St. Mary’s University Honors Program.

The new curriculum will align our program with contemporary educational needs at a Hispanic Serving Institution and enrich the academic experience for a diverse student population.

The requested funds will recruit faculty dedicated to maintaining high academic standards through an innovative, scaffolded series of seminars, leading to a thesis or project, which will complement elective honors courses that specifically fulfill the University’s core curriculum and high impact practices.

Through this new curriculum, students from a Hispanic-serving institution will be prepared to compete with students from peer institutions for admissions to graduate, medical, and law schools and for their careers. Emphasizing co-horted belongingness, high-impact research and writing, and leadership, this initiative positions St. Mary’s as a leader in Hispanic serving institution honors education, attracting high-achieving students and enhancing the institution’s academic reputation.