Why join?
Low cost: Institutional dues for Great Plains are $50 per year ($100 for "sustainer" membership, $25 for first-time members). There are no individual dues. Many programs are members of multiple organizations, and they appreciate the low cost of affiliating with Great Plains. Dues are collected on a calendar-year basis.
Spring conference: The Great Plains Honors Council holds a three-day conference each spring as well as its regional meeting at the fall convention of the National Collegiate Honors Council. Conference registration fees are low, and we rotate host sites among the six states to help accessibility.
Student participation: As valuable as NCHC conferences are, the high cost of registration, hotels, and travel makes it difficult for programs to send their students. Great Plains, like other regional honors organizations, emphasizes student attendance and presentations at its spring conference.
Boe Awards: Member schools may submit up to two student papers to compete for the annual Boe Award. Boe Award winners receive monetary awards and plaques, and their presentations of their papers are showcased at the regional conference. Institutions whose students win Boe Awards may apply for travel grants to help defray travel expenses to either the next NCHC conference or the following GPHC conference.
Annual membership directory: Where are the other honors programs in your area? Who are the contacts there? The Great Plains directory is your convenient reference.
Connection: As one GPHC honors director put it, "With our geography, honors programs can feel isolated. We need the fellowship and shop-talk that we get at our meetings. The sense of community is great." Our members stay in contact and consult with each other through the GPHC Facebook page, maintained by Dr. Gene Young at Sam Houston State Unversity, as well as through individual communications made possible by the membership directory.
Experience: Use the Great Plains network to set up collaborations, get advice, or find visiting speakers or consultants. Our member programs represent every kind of institution, public and private, from community colleges to research universities. They include every type of honors curriculum. What they share is zest for honors education, for nurturing bright students toward wisdom and professional skill.
How can our program join?
Download the dues invoice and return it to the GPHC's treasurer. Payment with a credit card may be accomplished by using the button below, or checks or purchase orders may be sent to the treasurer along with the invoice. Dues must be received by January 1 of each year. Active membership, with paid-up institutional dues, is required for your students to compete for the Boe Award.