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Show Honors Text: Dana Hanson The Honors Program and the Bachelor of Integrated Studies are two separate programs. However, both are administered from one office and under the direction of one man -Dr. Robert J. Arway. The Honors program is designed to offer students of superior ability and motivation the opportunity to take classes which will challenge and stimulate their abilities. There are a number of intrinsic and extrinsic advantages for Honors graduates, according to Dr. Arway. "The program offers enriched learning experiences for students. Classes are limited to 20 students and the courses are taught by excellent teachers. Because of small classes, students receive individual attention from teachers. "Honors students are highly motivated and intelligent. The course content is not available in ordinary curriculum. There is a lot of give and take and excitement in the classes," he continued. "Some general education requirements can be satisfied in Honors classes. Some students may find this attractive. Also, employers and graduate schools look more favorably at an Honors graduate, all things being equal." Students are not the only people who benefit from Honors classes. "Many faculty say they are stimulated by teaching an Honors class beyond their regular course work. It gives them an opportunity to share research and academic interests. "I hope that teaching an Honors class is a sign of an instructor's productivity something special that might earn him a pat on the back and give additional excitement to his teaching," he added. The BIS degree offers an alternative to a traditional degree. "It offers flexibility and allows students to design a program that meets their interests and life and career goals. But, a BIS is not for everyone. It needs to be well designed and planned; otherwise, it might hurt rather than help them in getting a job," said Dr. Arway. In addition to directing the Honors and BIS programs, Dr. Arway is actively involved in the Scholastic Society and Phi Kappa Phi. The WSC chapters of these organizations are also administered from the Honors office. Both of these organizations are honor societies, and membership is earned. Students are invited to join Scholastic Society if they have 45 to 120 hours with a GPA of at least 3.5. Forty-five of the hours must be from Weber. Students who are scholastically in the top 10 percent of the senior class or upper five percent of the junior class are invited to join Phi Kappa Phi. X)Lk.o(jo(pca Ys.parcrrco Xcorcbv BACHELOR OF INTEGRATED STUDIES PHI KAPPA PHI, the national honor society, is just one of the several organizations that Dr. Robert J. Arway, director of the Honors Program and the Bachelor of Integrated Studies, deals with on a daily basis. (Signpost photo: Scott Miller) "H e doesn't tell me what to do or how to do it; he let's me experience the process. He has let me develop at my own pace. He leads gently but effectively." These comments come from JoAnn D'Agostino, co-chair of the Honors Student Advisory Committee. She was specifically talking about Dr. Robert J. Arway, director of the Honors Program and the Bachelor of Integrated Studies. He will go on sabbatical leave for the 1986-87 academic year. Dr. Arway began teaching at Weber State in 1972 in the Department of Child and Family Studies. He also served as chair of that department from 1975-1977. In 1984, he was selected as director of the HonorsBIS Programs. "It was an opportunity to work with better than average and highly motivated students and a challenge to develop a program that had an explicit goal of excellence," he said. According to Dr. Marie Kotter, Arway's immeditate supervisor, the programs have taken quantum leaps forward under his direction. "When he took over, we had 35 active Honors students. We now have 135 active students, he has increased student involvement so that he now has a strong student association. "Dr. Arway has also created an academic community. An example is Think Break. He means as much to the faculty as he does to the students," she continued. Dr. Arway completed his master's degree at Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. in 1950. In 1960, he received his doctorate in medieval philosophy from the Catholic University in Louvain, Belgium, Higher Institute of Philosophy. "I was a Catholic priest during the period from 1949 to 1971 and a member of a religious order -The Vincentian Fathers. During most of those years, I taught philosophy in seminaries run by that order," Dr. Arway said. Dr. Arway did post-doctoral work at the Menninger Foundation in the Division of religion and psychiatry. He also spent six months at the Carl Jung Institute in Zurich, Switzerland doing research. "During my sabbatical, I will be working on a project to design a learning community for one of the residence halls at Weber. I plan to visit some other institutions which have aspects I would like to incorporate into our program," said Dr. Arway. "It is going to be sad to see him go, but he will still be working for Weber students, he may be leaving, but he won't be gone," concluded Dr. Kotter. ( t I if J. ' . . v ' 'X V ' ;tv SBM - -;.vo;. ' . V " ....... .., ; .,-. ,. '. . . |