The Wisdom of Our Elders: Honors Discussions in the Superior Student, 1958-65 (The Roots of the National Collegiate Honors Council) (Inter-University Committee on the Superior Student) (Essay)

The modern honors movement that arose in the 1950s was propelled and supported by the Inter-University Committee on the Superior Student (ICSS) and its newsletter, The Superior Student. This first honors serial publication, now relegated to the misty past and unknown to most honors deans and directors, merits examination. Its value lies not merely in its historical interest, but in the usefulness of its discussions of the same issues that arise currently in honors programs, conferences, and publications. one of the consistent premises that emerge from the ICSS newsletter is the recognition that the wide diversity of honors programs appropriately reflects the diversity of institutional cultures and their varying stages of readiness for an honors approach. At the same time, however, the ICSS through this publicity organ advises certain desiderata--in evolving versions--of a "full" honors program. These desiderata are, of course, the forerunners of today's "basic characteristics" of honors programs and colleges promoted by the National Collegiate Honors Council (NCHC), the organization that succeeded the ICSS. This balance between tolerance of diversity and the upholding of ideals or standards seems the most salient aspect of the wisdom of our honors elders.