Written By: Caitlin Grant, Melissa Santos, and Linda Kobylarz
“Every success story is a tale of constant adaption, revision and change.” This quote by Richard Branson exemplifies the growth of our Honors Program. Honors Program Director Linda Kobylarz and her team began our Campus honors program in 2012. Since this time, Kobylarz has developed the Program into a thriving community of over 200 main campus honors students. Most recently, she has innovated the Honors Program for our online student population.
A spotlight on the newly developed MGT105 Principles of Management honors course demonstrates what the Online Honors Program means to our students and faculty. Gregory J. Privitera, Ph.D. and Associate Faculty Member shared his experience in teaching the first run of the MGT105 Principles of Management Honors course this past Term. “Teaching the Honor’s course was akin to being a part of an intellectual community of scholars bridging foundational concepts in management with applied assessments that reflected more than simply higher level learning; but also critical thinking and dialogue on important issues relevant today, such as ethics, corporate responsibility, and the value of community engagement. Overall, teaching this course was an enriching experience.”
It takes a community of engaged learners to create this enriching experience. Part of the course focused on the importance of diversity and, paradoxically, the class itself was diverse in its composition.
Mr. Mike Houseknecht found value in both the Honors Program and the MGT105 Honors class. He provided, “My experience in honors principles of management was great. The honors program was extremely inviting and a great opportunity to add advantages to your resume. It challenged me to go beyond the normal view of management and think more in depth about how current management operate in today’s business world. From corporate social responsibility, to interviewing my own management team about all our coursework, to get a real-life perspective on how the course material is directly connected to how real businesses are managed today. Dr. Privitera was an amazing professor who helped further the conversation to another level of thought, to evolve our current perception of management. I highly recommend taking this course if you want to become a stronger leader, and more knowledgeable in the current management structures of business, and to learn to plan, lead, organize, and control different functions required in business.”
Mrs. Arletha M. Hood, Human Services major and Online Honors Program student reflected on what the course meant to her. She stated, “ Dr. Gregory Privitera, the instructor of MGT 105, Honors course, helped me to understand the workings of large and small corporations and companies. I am more equipped to run my business, make sound decisions, be a better manager, make presentations to others, and understand how inner and outer factors affect my company. I now understand and assume the responsibility of companies and corporations to give back and be socially responsible. With the principles of knowledge of the operations of how businesses should function, students will be able to understand how to operate their own company or navigate the corporate world successfully.”
MGT 105H was the first Honors course Marketing student Ms. Shari Nicklow completed. She enjoyed the engagement with her classmates, and is excited for future Honors opportunities. “My Principles of Management class with Professor Gregory Privitera was a great way to dip my feet into furthering my knowledge in a management role. I really loved how engaging the class was, and how Professor Privitera expanded our thinking by asking us questions on our individual discussion boards. This class was my first experience as part of the Honors program at Post University, and it honestly makes me excited to continue on the path I’m on. As an aspiring graduate of the class of 2021, I can’t wait to see what’s in store for myself and my fellow classmates.”
Students with a 3.25 GPA or better qualify to take Honors coursework. Those interested in taking an Honors class can contact their ASC, Linda Kobylarz ([email protected]), or Caitlin Grant ([email protected]).