University Honors is to expand its student engagement opportunities with J.D. Bowers, the new associate vice provost of University Honors, leading the way.

Bowers wants to give students unique experiences and create a program more focused on interdisciplinary opportunities. He looks to do this by reorganizing the structure of the honors program.

Bowers, who has taken students overseas as a professor, thinks studying abroad is another way to enrich students’ education with a better understanding of the world as a whole. He thinks opportunities to study abroad along with research opportunities and internships will offer a more well-rounded education for honors students.

“Everybody is pushing research, but we’re doing well with it,” Bowers said. “We have students leaving here published…. This is so important for enrollment retention and for our students’ experience.”

Paul Palian, director of media and public relations, said NIU President Doug Baker is dedicated to giving students unique opportunities like the ones Bowers is looking to offer honors students.

“One of his priorities is this kind of engaged learning opportunity,” Palian said.

Baker’s main objective is to have wide student career success in which students graduate with experiences and connections in their field. Baker said studying abroad and research experiences are the kind of things he wants for NIU students.

The connections both leaders want to make available to students are heavily reliant on alumni relations. Bowers referred to this year in University Honors as the “Year of the Alumni.”

Baker, too, said offering alumni as resources for students is key to success. They both look to capitalize on the 185,000 alumni in the Chicago area. Baker said the honors program is a good way to start that process.

“I’m trying to have this keystone piece to the puzzle for student career success…,” Baker said. “I’d like to close the gap to the world of work…. One of the things I am going to try to capitalize on is our strong alumni base.”

Bowers also said he wants the program to take a three-tier interdisciplinary format. The top tier is the most interdisciplinary; several colleges would have faculty involved in one honors program. The middle tier would have a balance of about 70 percent of curriculum coming from within a given college and the other 30 percent coming from other colleges. The bottom tier would be a more informal program entirely within one college with an emphasis on more diverse studies.

Bowers said the new organization of the program, new goals and new opportunities are key to the honors program and students’ success, and he is dedicated to making University Honors a superior program.

“We want to be an elite program, but we don’t want to be elitist,” Bowers said.

Bowers is an associate professor of history at NIU and took on his role as associate vice provost of honors July 1.