Honors Academy

English Professor Gilliam “Mike” Burton was the first coordinator of the San Antonio College Presidential Honors  Program – later renamed the Raul S, Murguia Presidential Honors Program – and held that position from 1989 to 2011.  The foundation of the Program owes much to Professor Burton’s leadership. Graduates of the Program under his supervision were accepted to upper-division and graduate institutions such as Amherst College, Boston College, Boston University, Columbia, Cornell, U.C. at Berkeley, SMU, Notre Dame, the College of Santa Fe, NYU, Stanford University, The University of Central Oklahoma, The University of Turabo in Puerto Rico, and most public and private Texas universities. Many of these graduates have acknowledged their indebtedness to the Honors Program, especially Professor Burton. 

In 2011, under the supervision of History Professor Dr. Jon Lee the Program was renamed the Honors Academy Program. Dr. Lee held that position until 2016. Psychology Professor Dehlia Wallis served as coordinator from 2016-2018. Professor Wallis and History Professor Dr. Erik Anderson served as co-coordinators from 2018-2019. English Professor Laurie Lopez Coleman serves as the current Director of the Program.

The SAC Honors Academy Program offers college courses in core subjects that every student will need for a bachelor's degree in Texas. Dedicated professors and an embedded advisor work one-on-one with students and guide them through academic, transfer, and career goals. Honors Academy Program students receive a first-rate college experience during their first two years at a fraction of the cost of a four-year college or university.

Mission

The Honors Academy Program is committed to supporting student success through engagement, completion, and graduation/transfer.

Donate to the Academy

Donate

Recognitions 

The San Antonio College Honors Academy was selected as a finalist for the 2020 Examples of Excelencia award, an honor bestowed by Excelencia in Education, the nation’s premier authority on efforts to accelerate Latino student success in higher education. Every year, Examples of Excelencia begins with a national call for nominations encouraging individuals and programs to share initiatives accelerating Latino student success in higher education. Excelencia in Education reviews all program profiles of those intentionally serving Latino students and, this year, identified 20 finalists using rigorous criteria. Finalists identified in each of four categories—associate, baccalaureate, graduate, and community-based organizations—are presented to a national selection committee composed of higher education leaders, grantmakers, and stakeholders. The committee assesses the strength of innovative, intentional, culturally relevant, and effective high-impact practices tailored to Latino students and their communities to select the four Examples of Excelencia.  

Eligibility

The Honors Academy Program is open to high school graduates, Travis Early College High School sophomores, or college freshmen with less than 21 hours of college credits in the Core. Students must be pursuing a SAC associate's degree requiring at least 12 hours in the Texas Core Curriculum. High school graduates must have a minimum of 3.25 GPA (85/B) and TSIA 2.0 college placement scores at college-level in Writing and Reading with a minimum of 5 on the essay. College freshmen must have a minimum 3.25 GPA. Individual exceptions to these requirements are made on a case-by-case basis. Interested students should apply to have their applications reviewed.

Once admitted, Honors Academy students must maintain at least a 2.75 GPA, pass all attempted courses with a C or better, meet all academic advising benchmarks, and be in good standing with the College. To graduate from the SAC Honors Academy, students must meet the aforementioned requirements and the specific requirements explained below within the "Levels of Your Honors Experience."

Honors Academy Program Student Learning Outcomes

1. Students will demonstrate active engagement in the Honors Academy.

2. Students will complete one of the three levels of the Honors Academy experience: Gold, Silver, or Bronze.

3. Students will graduate and/or transfer and earn a degree.

Honors Academy Student Learning Outcomes

1. Students will articulate a central message to an audience.
   1. Clearly developed thesis.
   2. Appropriate delivery.
   3. Well-supported position.
2. Students will demonstrate engagement in thoughtful self-reflection.
   1. Portfolio submission.
   2. Journal Entry.
   3. Goal Setting.
3. Students will plan and organize collaboratively.
   1. Work together in a group/team.
   2. Successfully complete tasks in a group/team.
4. Students will demonstrate the significance and relevance of ideas and concepts through a cultural lens.
   1. Application of theory to practice.
   2. Explaining issues.
   3. Problem solving.
5. Students will analyze sources and/or evidence at a critical level.
   1. Appropriate evidence and/or sources gathered.
   2. Draw conclusions.