“BBQ with the Profs” and the Development of Collegial Associations

Western Kentucky University (WKU) is a medium-sized, open-enrollment public institution, classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a “Master’s College & Universities Larger Programs.” WKU has 15,9781 undergraduates spread across four campuses. The Honors Program, created in 1963, currently has around 500 students. Enrollment is based on an eligibility standard, with entry requirements for the program being a combination of minimum ACT/SAT scores and high school grade point average. However, the program’s philosophy is that a student is more than the accumulation of his or her “numbers,” thus allowing students to petition into the program if they are low on one criterion or the other. In addition, the program allows students to apply after taking a certain number of credits at WKU. Once in the program, a student must complete eighteen hours of Honors credit in general education, upper-division, and Honors colloquia courses and a six-credit Capstone Experience/Thesis (CE/T) Project