Honors Program

At Anderson University, the honors program encourages its members to build a community and grow together during their undergraduate studies.

Each semester, students take one discussion-based course together, which bonds them as a cohort while simultaneously meeting liberal arts requirements. Students in our honors program have the benefits of specialized honors orientation as freshmen, access to our honors lounge in the library, additional advising and mentoring from our co-directors, the option for honors housing, and opportunities to conduct individual research with faculty members. Along with this community and support, our honors scholars receive a scholarship each year, in addition to any other merit-based scholarships for which they may qualify. They also receive special recognition on their transcripts showing that they completed the honors program.

Outside of the classroom, our honors scholars are engaged in campus activities, including service and leadership roles. Many scholars are athletes both on intercollegiate and intramural teams, as well as dancers, musicians, leaders in student government, and event participants. Students in our honors program are among the most engaged on campus, with the support to excel in all of the areas about which they are passionate.

Honors Program Mission Statement The honors program at Anderson University is devoted to fostering within its honors scholars a passionate dedication to intellectual inquiry and spiritual development so that they may serve as vibrant leaders in their professions and in their communities.

Honors Lounge

Every honors scholar enjoys key access to the honors lounge on the second floor of the Nicholson Library, a space complete with computer facilities, Wi-Fi, a refrigerator, and microwaves. Here, honors scholars can study, talk, and fellowship. The lounge remains open and available until midnight on weeknights during each semester and during finals week.

Requirements

The honors program is cohort-based, and enrollment into the program is competitive and by invitation.

Successful applicants have typically achieved combined SAT math and critical reading scores of at least 1200 (or equivalent ACT scores) and a GPA of at least 3.75 on a 4.0 scale.

The Selection Committee generally looks for evidence of some or all of the following, among other factors:

• A variety of AP and honors classes taken in high school, along with excellent grades in those courses.
• A résumé demonstrating an extracurricular activity or activities that the student has persevered in and been involved with for several years.
• An openness to new ideas and to a life of the mind.

Contact us at honors@anderson.edu.

The Anderson University honors program provides an intellectually enriched learning community for highly motivated students. While the honors program is not a formal major or minor, students enrolled in the program must complete a series of honors scholars courses.

Scholars Courses Honors scholars enroll in one honors course per semester during the freshman, sophomore, and junior years. Each of these courses will be taken together as a cohort, and all meet liberal arts core curriculum areas required for Anderson University students. Honors courses are not designed to be more difficult or more work than other liberal arts courses. Instead, they involve discussions based on readings, and they are focused on intellectual and spiritual development. Many of these courses are team-taught and/or are interdisciplinary.

Senior Scholars Honors Projects The senior honors project is an intensive, original research project under the direction of an academic mentor. During the first semester of their senior year, honors scholars work on an honors project of their choice, with a presentation of the project in the second semester. The first semester of the senior year, honors scholars take the Honors Senior Seminar to help them plan their project and practice discussing it with an outside audience.

Upon graduation, honors scholars will have completed 21 credits within the curriculum of the honors program. Twenty of these credits are applicable to the university’s liberal arts program curriculum.

PROGRAM DIRECTORS