The Academic Enrichment Program at Keene State College supports students who are serious about academic excellence, and who are committed to the ideal of Higher Education: to learn and to share what one has learned and knows and can do. The program coordinates three initiatives: the Honors Council, the funding of enrichment activities, and the Academic Excellence Conference.

The Council of Academic Honor Societies is composed of the Presidents of each of the Honor Societies. The Council serves as an informational and coordinating body of all the honor societies. The Council has representation on the Academic Excellence Conference Committee, the Student Conference Fund Committee and the Enrichment Funding Committee. The Council also shares responsibility for assisting in coordinating the spring Academic Excellence Conference.

The Academic Enrichment Program has a pool of money designated for enrichment activities sponsored by Honor Societies. The mission of each honor society defines enrichment activities, and honor societies are eligible to apply for enrichment funding. There must be an academic component for an activity or event to be funded. Individual or honor society projects that are funded must be related to the discipline of the honor society.

The Academic Excellence Conference is held every spring. The primary goals of the conference are to facilitate an intellectual experience: to encourage the exchange of ideas and intellectual interaction among students, and to increase the visibility of students’ academic work and the collaborative work between students and faculty. All students are encouraged to submit work and recipients of undergraduate research grants are required to present at the conference. Faculty are critical to the conference’s success as all student proposals must be endorsed by a faculty member. Faculty encourage students to participate and support students in developing proposals for presentation at the conference.

The Carnegie Foundation recognizes Keene State College as an “engaged campus”. Many faculty provide students with opportunities for enriching out of class experiences that enhance what is being taught in learned in classes. These experiences enrich academic and professional growth and contribute to student engagement in a myriad of ways. As part of the Academic Enrichment Program, the Field Experience/Engagement Fund has been created to support faculty who wish to offer out of class field experiences that are part of their courses and that are focused on enhancing student engagement.

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