Apr 19, 2024  
2018-2019 College Catalog 
    
2018-2019 College Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Honors and Enriched Off Campus Opportunities



Academic Honors

Dean’s List

Room A-228

The Dean’s List at Kingsborough Community College is established every term to honor matriculated students who have achieved academic excellence. To be eligible for inclusion on the Dean’s List in a given term (defined as 12-week session and 6-week module), day or evening students must meet the following criteria:

  1. have completed all developmental course work prior to the term under consideration for Dean’s List
  2. earn a minimum of 12 credits
  3. achieve a grade point average (GPA) of 3.50 or higher for the term under consideration
  4. not have grades of ” D,” ” F,” ” FIN,” ” INC,” ” R,” or “WU” at the time the list is produced and
  5. be in good academic standing (have a minimum cumulative grade point average [GPA] of a 2.00)

Attainment of the Dean’s List becomes part of students’ permanent record and appears on their transcript. Students do not need to apply to be considered for the Dean’s List. If eligible, they are automatically placed on the List.

Dean’s List Scholarship

To further reward students for their achievement and to encourage them to continue to pursue academic excellence, freshmen students who are placed on the Dean’s List in their first two semesters and attend Kingsborough full-time for a third semester may qualify for the Dean’s List Scholarship of $30 (transfer students and students who receive the WAVE scholarship are not eligible). Students do not need to apply to be considered for the Scholarship. If eligible, they will be contacted automatically and will be presented with the scholarship check during the Dean’s List Ceremony. 

Honor Societies

Chi Alpha Epsilon

College Discovery
Room L-516, Ext. 5781

Chi Alpha Epsilon Honor Society was founded at West Chester University of Pennsylvania in 1989. The Delta Pi Chapter at Kingsborough Community College was established in May 2012. The honor society was formed to recognize the academic achievements of students admitted to the college through non-traditional criteria and who are admitted to opportunity programs such as College Discovery, TRiO, and many others. The eligibility requirements are completion of ENG 1200  and maintaining a 3.00 or higher cumulative grade point average for two consecutive terms. Students are expected to engage in civic engagement activities, expand on leadership skills and always strive for excellence. For additional information go to www.chialphaepsilon.com

Mu Alpha Theta

Mathematics & Computer Science Department
Room F-309, Ext. 5931

Sponsored by the Mathematical Association of America, Mu Alpha Theta is the national two-year college mathematics honor society (www.mualphatheta.org). It is dedicated to inspiring keen interest in mathematics, developing strong scholarship in the subject, and promoting the enjoyment of mathematics in two-year college students. Membership is open to students who complete eight (8) or more credits in mathematics courses numbered 1500 or higher and/or in computer science courses while maintaining at least a “B” grade in those courses, and receive the recommendation of the Mathematics Department faculty.

Phi Beta Lambda

Business Department
Room M-355, Ext. 5555

Phi Beta Lambda (www.fbla-pbl.org) is a national business honor society for college students who have an interest in business. Students who have maintained a cumulative grade point average of “B” after completing 30 credits or more at Kingsborough, and who have given service to the Business Department, are eligible for membership.

Phi Theta Kappa

Room M-377, Ext. 5365

The Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society of the Two-Year College was established in 1918. Today, it’s the largest honor society in American higher education, with more than 1.5 million members and 1,200 chapters located in all 50 states and abroad. The Phi Theta Kappa Chapter at Kingsborough Community College, Xi Kappa, was established in 1965, shortly after the College was founded. In March 2006, Kingsborough’s chapter was awarded the Phi Theta Kappa “Horizon Award” for the most revitalized chapter and in 2015 it was recognized as one of the Top 100 Chapters nationwide. Xi Kappa is a very positive force in the lives of Kingsborough students and offers tremendous opportunities for members to enrich their education while at Kingsborough by participating in a rich menu of co-curricular, on- and off-campus activities and events.

The purpose of Phi Theta Kappa is to nurture academic excellence at the college by promoting an intellectual climate and a special sense of community among the college’s highest achieving students. The hallmarks of Phi Theta Kappa to which members pledge fidelity are scholarship, leadership, fellowship and service. Phi Theta Kappa affords numerous benefits to its members including thousands of dollars in transfer scholarships offered by many four-year colleges and universities. For a complete listing of scholarships for Phi Theta Kappa members go to http://www.ptk.org/default.aspx

To be eligible for Xi Kappa chapter membership, a student must have:

  1. earned 12 or more credits (beyond developmental courses)
  2. achieve a grade point average of 3.50 or higher with no grades of “D,” “F,” “FIN,” “INC,” “R,” or “WU” and
  3. passed the CUNY Assessment Tests in Reading and Writing.

Membership in Phi Theta Kappa requires a one-time $65 lifetime membership fee, which is sent to the international headquarters of Phi Theta Kappa. In return, members receive a membership package containing a membership certificate, ID number, and the Society’s gold pin of excellence. In addition, members’ permanent transcript will note that they are a member of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, and at graduation, they will be eligible to purchase and wear the Society’s gold silk stole and tassel and be seated in a special section.

If you are eligible to join Xi Kappa, an email is sent at the beginning of each fall and spring term with details regarding the online application and payment.

There is a symbiotic relationship between the Xi Kappa Chapter and the Honors Program at Kingsborough. Both are housed in the Honors House in M-377, providing Honors students with an intellectual gathering place. For additional information go to http://www.kbcc.cuny.edu/honors/Pages/ptk.aspx

Sigma Alpha Pi

Career Development and Experiential Learning
Room C-102, Ext. 5115

Sigma Alpha Pi (National Society of Leadership and Success) is a lifetime membership in one of the largest college leadership honor societies in the United States. The society is by invitation only for students with a grade point average of 3.00 or higher. Eligible students will receive a registration code in the invitation to register for the fall or spring session. If students do not receive an invitation but have a grade point average of 3.00 or higher, they are encouraged to nominate themselves through the society’s website at societyleadership.org To receive more information email leadershipsociety@kbcc.cuny.edu

Honors Program

The Honors Program

Room M-377, Ext. 5365

The Kingsborough Honors Program provides students who have a 3.20 or higher grade point average with the opportunity to challenge themselves academically in Honors classes that emphasize critical thinking, independent research, analytical writing, oral debate, and public speaking.

Students can select from a variety of Honors coursework: they can enroll in All-Honors courses, which are smaller in size than regular classes and where all participants have a 3.20 or higher grade point average, or add an Honors Enrichment Component (HEC) to one of their regular courses. Highly motivated students may also work with a professor to do a substantial research project called an Honors Contract, which usually involves writing a 10-page paper using documentation appropriate to the discipline to earn Honors credit.

The Honors Program celebrates student success. Distinctions: The Honors Student Journal, founded in 2005, is the bi-annual publication of the Kingsborough Honors Program. Honors students are urged to submit and are assisted in publishing their papers in Distinctions. Students who do outstanding work on a paper or project in an Honors or non-Honors course are encouraged to share it with the college community by taking part in an Honors Symposium held each term.

An “Honors” designation is entered on the student’s transcript for every Honors course taken. Honors academic participation is also noted in the commencement program for students who have successfully completed a minimum of nine (9) or more Honors credits.

The Honors Program also seeks to enrich students’ lives outside of the classroom. Through participation in a number of special programs, such as the Presidential Scholars Honors Program, the Honors Representatives Program, and Honors sponsored student groups, such as the Honors Club, Phi Theta Kappa Two-Year College Honor Society, and Student World Assembly, honors students are encouraged to “act locally and think globally.”

The ultimate aim of the Honors Program is to enable students to become “Citizen-Scholars” who have a strong academic and co-curricular résumé that enables them to successfully transfer to top public and private four-year colleges and universities. As a result of their involvement in the Honors Program, many students are competitive
candidates for scholarships.

The criteria for admission into the Honors Program are as follows:

  1. Day or Evening, full-time or part-time students who have completed 12 credits or more in residence at Kingsborough and have passed CUNY Assessment Tests in Reading and Writing, earned a grade of “B” or higher in ENG 1200  or ENG 2400 , and have maintained a cumulative grade point average of 3.20 or higher are eligible to participate in the Honors Program.
  2. Kingsborough students who have accumulated less than 12 credits locally with a grade point average of at least 3.20, but have additional transfer credits, may participate in the Honors Program if they can produce transcripts of their transferred credits showing a grade point average of 3.20 or higher.
  3. Transferring students with 12 transferred credits or more who have passed CUNY Assessment Tests in Reading and Writing and have a cumulative grade point average of 3.20 or higher for their transferred credits will be allowed to participate in the Honors Program upon presentation of their transcripts to the Honors Program Director.
  4. Entering freshmen who have a high school average of 85 or higher, and/or a combined SAT score of 950, and/or who have passed all parts of the CUNY Assessment Tests in Reading, Writing and ACCUPLACER CUNY Assessment Test in Math, are eligible to participate in the Honors Program. They must present a one- to two-page essay expressing their interest in the Honors Program to the Honors Program Director.
  5. High school students entering Kingsborough with College Now credits who received a “B+” or higher in every College Now course they have taken and have maintained a high school average of 80 are eligible to participate in the Honors Program.

The Honors Office in M-377 and Honors Lounge in M-378 serve as a one-stop shop for all Honors needs and services. Interested students should visit the Honors House to learn more about the Honors Program and the numerous co-curricular opportunities available both on- and off-campus to Honors students. For more information go to www.kbcc.cuny.edu/honors

Enriched Off Campus Opportunities

Exploring Transfer Summer Program at Vassar College

Room M-377, Ext. 5365

The award-winning Vassar College Exploring Transfer Program (http://eter.vassar.edu) is a five-week summer program designed to give qualified community college students the opportunity to explore their transfer options while experiencing education at a four-year residential college. Students enroll in two (2) interdisciplinary courses team-taught by community college and Vassar faculty, earn six (6) academic credits, stay in dormitory housing on the Vassar campus and eat their meals in the campus dining halls. Vassar College covers the cost of the courses, housing, food and books. In return, the program asks that students come with an eagerness to learn and a desire to challenge themselves academically, transcending boundaries previously thought impossible. Applications for this program become available in the spring.