MISSION

Honors Program

Mission

The Honors Program advances the mission of the university in the following ways:

• It encourages the use of knowledge for the benefit of others. Many of our students are actively engaged in a variety of extra-curricular activities. These include Student Government, the Student Activities Board, volunteering for work in Mission and Ministry, volunteering as group leaders for Freshman Orientation, being Mentors in the Freshman Experience program, and participating in sports, theatre, music, and student academic conferences.

• The program focuses on the notion that learning is a lifelong process.  The Honors Program is based on a teaching methodology that focuses on the process of learning. In this learning environment students realize that education is developed over the course of time. With an emphasis on preparing for a career and/or graduate school the program helps our students realize that learning is a lifelong process that demands both dedication and hard work.

• It seeks to provide innovative, transformational education.  The Honors Program advocates the Active Learning Process, which focuses on skill development, higher-order thinking, and student exploration of their attitudes and values.  It provides our students with a supportive and caring environment to practice and refine intellectual skills. The core value of excellence is also at the core of the Honors Program.

• The University Honors Seminar promotes thoughtful and ethical leadership. Recent student-selected research topics such as the foster care system, culturally responsive pedagogy, advocating for the elderly, wrongful convictions, the social stigmas associated with mental illness, and the influence of social media on presidential elections offer many opportunities for seminar participants to consider ethical issues as they affect local and global communities.

• Classes and conferences give practical application to respecting diversity of opinion.  The active nature of our classroom environment fosters class discussion. Through this vehicle our students learn to respect and appreciate a wide range of opinions and experiences. Student participation at conferences is also an important learning tool in this respect.

• Our emphasis on skill development gives students the intellectual tools needed for success in a global and technologically complex world.  The Honors Program emphasizes the development of a variety of intellectual skills that transcend specific disciplines. Our goal is to help students develop skills and character traits that help them adapt to any given situation.

From the Honors Program Self Study, rev. 16 February 2015, pp. 4-5.