By Anne Dotter, Honors Program Director
Do you know a student attending Johnson County Community College (JCCC) in the fall or are you considering JCCC? Add depth and breadth to the academic experience by joining the JCCC Honors Program.
Since 1987, JCCC’s Honors Program has provided academically motivated students with an inclusive and supportive environment to foster their curiosity. Honors faculty and staff encourage students to challenge themselves, take risks, solve problems, and hone their leadership skills to serve as active citizens and leaders within their communities.
About our program and students
JCCC’s Honors Program students take specific courses and complete exploratory learning requirements throughout their time at JCCC. Honors students go over and beyond the syllabus, driven by innate curiosity and an insatiable desire to learn. Anne Dotter, Director of JCCC’s Honors Program, tells students, “You will find in the Honors Program community a challenge to be the best thinker that you ever thought you could be.”
Students in JCCC’s Honors Program are diverse, coming from various backgrounds, races, nationalities, ethnicities, genders, sexualities, veteran status, marital statuses, parental responsibilities, socio-economic statuses, majors, and aspirations. Some are the first in their families to attend college and earn a degree.
Many of our honors students stretch their wings upon graduation, and most aspire to transfer to a four-year school and complete a bachelor’s degree or move on to graduate or professional school. While several stay close to home and join the honors programs available at the University of Kansas and the University of Missouri–Kansas City, some recent JCCC graduates are completing degrees at Yale University and Spelman College.
The honors student experience
JCCC honors students are engaged on campus and pursue meaningful experiences inside and outside the classroom to achieve their goals. Many of our honors students hold leadership positions in student organizations on campus, study abroad, or complete undergraduate research. Honors students can also take advantage of:
- Honors student-specific events and seminars
- Public presentation opportunities
- Pre-enrollment privileges (honors students can enroll a few days before open enrollment to ensure they get into their preferred class sections)
- An honors study lounge
- Individualized advising for courses and extracurricular activities
- Membership in the Honors Student Association
- And JCCC’s numerous other free campus resources
Students in the Honors Program at JCCC actively engage in smaller, seminar-style classes and receive individual attention from their professors. Honors students have access to honors staff to help them map out how their academic, personal, and professional goals overlap with their time at JCCC. They also have dedicated honors counselors who help map out their classes and prepare to transfer to a 4-year school.
“Being a part of the Honors Program at JCCC instilled a love for learning and a confidence in facing academic challenges,” said Ethan B., a 2020 graduate of JCCC’s Honors Program. “Professors went above and beyond to facilitate meaningful teaching moments and made my time in the Honors Program unforgettable. I feel that I am well prepared for future academic and career endeavors; the roles that JCCC and the Honors Program played cannot be understated.”
Learn more
Our honors students say it best! Watch as Kaitlyn S. talks about her time in JCCC’s Honors Program.
The JCCC Honors Program admits students with a 3.5 high school unweighted GPA (or a current 3.5 JCCC cumulative GPA). If you are interested in learning more, connect with the JCCC Honors Program at [email protected] or visit JCCC’s website.
