Breaking Barriers in Teaching and Learning - The Honors Professional Development Portfolio: Claiming the Value of Honors for Improvement, Tenure, and Promotion

All of us working in honors face a similar challenge when we are asked to account for the value of our efforts as teachers or leaders in our honors programs or colleges. Much of what we do is invisible to all but the most discerning and appreciative eyes: hours spent designing new courses and pedagogical approaches; advising students on curricular, career, and personal matters; coordinating faculty and student development opportunities; forging beneficial alliances across campus to grow and strengthen our institutional areas; collaborating with students on research projects; drafting grants and other proposals; maintaining alumnae relations; leading students to academic conferences; managing multiple databases; serving on numerous committees and task forces; handling budget and financial responsibilities; playing a key role in recruitment and retention efforts; keeping up individual scholarly agendas; and—don’t forget—teaching our own classes. How do we showcase the often unseen and unrewarded dimensions of our professional investment in honors when our roles are so complex that they virtually require a bit of madness, the ingenuity of an entrepreneur, the integrity of a seasoned professional, the enthusiasm of an engaged teacher, and the patience of Job