The Honors Program at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College is transitioning from a two-year to a four-year program.  Dr. Cynthia Hall, Director of the ABAC Honors Program, said the curriculum is designed for those students who excel academically and are ready to take more rigorous versions of their courses.

Hall said that in the past, these honors classes were only offered in lower level courses such as freshman and sophomore English, history and communication classes.

During the 2019 fall semester, Kaycee Aultman, a senior writing and communication major from Tifton, is Beta testing an honors contract in her advanced composition course with Dr. Erin Campbell, a professor in the School of Arts and Sciences. An honors contract allows an honors student to elevate a regular section of a course to an honors section by working closely with the professor.

“When asked to participate in the Beta version of the four-year Honors Program, I jumped at the chance,” Campbell said.  “I was a college Honors Program graduate, have served as an Honors Professor for ABAC for many years, and have had the profound pleasure of having taught Kaycee in pervious honors classes.”

Aultman, the 2016 valedictorian at Tift County High School, has achieved quite a lot during her time at ABAC, including a year as the president of the ABAC Ambassadors.  She has also presented research and creative material at three Honors Conferences throughout the state and nation.  Aultman also received a second-place writing award at the Georgia Collegiate Honors Conference in March 2019.

“ABAC has always allowed me the opportunity to do more: set higher goals, achieve bigger accomplishments, and become a more impressive student,” Aultman said.  “I am so excited to be the first graduate of our four-year Honors Program because I am continuing to develop all of the skills that I gained during my first two years at ABAC.”

Hall has worked closely with both Aultman and Campbell in hopes that this program will continue to grow.

“This is an exciting time for the ABAC Honors program,” Hall said.  “Our professors have a wealth of knowledge and experience to offer, and they enjoy working with students.  I hope that honors students take advantage of the opportunity our new four-year honors program will offer them.”