The 2008-2009 school year will include a change in how students are recognized for academics by semester. At this time, Monmouth College has two forms of recognition on the books, an Honor Roll and a Dean’s List. Beginning next semester, Monmouth College will drop the Honor Roll, and lower the GPA requirement for the Dean’s List.  

According to the current catalog listing, all full-time students achieving a GPA of 3.67 or higher are eligible for the Dean’s List. The reformed Dean’s List will adopt the 3.5 GPA eligibility requirement of the current Honor Roll. 3.5 is also the average at most of the colleges in the Associated Colleges of the Midwest (ACM), a group of fourteen liberal arts colleges of which Monmouth College is a founding member.

Jane Jakoubek, vice president of academic affairs and dean of the faculty, said that Monmouth consulted with many schools in the ACM before considering these changes. She said, “When we have policy questions, we often ask what the other ACM colleges are doing,” adding, “We did this in establishing the number of credits required to participate in commencement for those students who haven’t completed requirements.” 

The elimination of Honor Roll was decided by a couple of factors. It was partially due to the outdated use of the term “Honor Roll” at the collegiate level. Also, a poll of the ACM revealed that the term “Dean’s List” was the standard at most of the member colleges. The Monmouth College Curriculum Committee approved the new Dean’s List criteria for the fall 2008 semester.

Jakoubek said that there are also plans to increase publicity for students who make the List, including “more visibility on the website” and an informal reception once a year for “faculty and staff …to come and congratulate students who made the Dean’s List.”

Return to Home -- Return to News