University Honors College Mission
The Honors College Vision Statement:
To cultivate excellence in tomorrow’s citizens by providing a challenging and deeply rewarding education, marked by an innovative curriculum, dedicated and accomplished faculty, a diverse living and learning community, transformative experiential pathways, and community engagement from the local to the global.
Our community of scholars values excellence, inquiry, innovation, fellowship, and distinction by promoting:
- the highest standards of academic integrity and excellence across campus.
- meaningful, innovative, interdisciplinary connections.
- leadership, research, community engagement, service learning, creative endeavors, international education, and the exploration of diversity.
- a stimulating residential environment.
- the integration of academics, learning communities, mentoring, and extra-curricular learning.
Our graduates are:
- Learners who actively strive to discover the unknown and the complex, who collaboratively pursue knowledge, and who apply that knowledge for a greater benefit
- Leaders who organize, nurture, and empower others with their examples, ideals, and actions
- Citizens who reach out, embrace, and invigorate each community in which they participate
- Catalysts for positive change who create, develop, and advance innovative solutions to complex problems.
Honors students awaken their intellects and learn to:
- Perceive connections, similarities, and differences among themselves, others, and the world
- Cultivate interdisciplinary and cross-cultural endeavors that connect the past, present, and future
- Think open-mindedly about alternative systems of thought, problems, solutions, and actions
- Communicate clearly, persuasively, and effectively through discussions, debates, writing, active and informed listening, and creative endeavors
- Mentor and lead others so as to set an example of integrity, industriousness, compassion, and problem solving
- Analyze and synthesize concepts and data to seek and entertain the best possible thesis, approach, outcome, and conclusion to a problem or issue
- Care deeply about their chosen disciplines, their peers, and their communities
- Understand and respect the diverse values and beliefs of others while being aware of one’s own limitations
- Instill trust, fairness, and the highest ethical and intellectual standards in their own thoughts and actions while encouraging others do the same