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May 5, 2003

Honors Program to Graduate Five Students

This semester the Honors Program at the University of Louisiana at Monroe is graduating five students. This is special because in the past, the Honors Program has only graduated a few at a time. 四色AV graduation is set for May 17 at 2 p.m. in Fant-Ewing Coliseum. The Honors Program is a unique opportunity for intellectually curious students to challenge themselves with new ideas and work with similarly motivated students. There are admission requirements for the Program.

At the end of this spring semester, the five graduating students are presenting their Honors Projects. The presentations are open to everyone. The students, their topics and dates of presentations follow:

Casey Evans will present "The Organization: A Novel" today at 5 p.m. in Brown Hall room 225. Evans will be graduating with a major in English and a minor in French.

Kevin Oliver is making his presentation on "The Moral Ascension of Aeneas: Duty, Destiny, and the Roman Epic Hero," on Wednesday, May 7 at 3 p.m. in the Administration Building room 1-47. Oliver will be graduating with two majors English and Spanish and with a minor in Latin.

Phoebe Phillips will be presenting on "The Impact of Immigration on Mexico" on Wednesday, May 7 at 4 p.m. in Brown Hall room 225. Phillips will be graduating with a major in Spanish and a minor in French

Candace Henderson is presenting "Present and Future Treatment Options for the Obese Type 2 Diabetic Patient: Sulfonylureas vs. Thiazolidinediones" on Tuesday, May 6 at 3 p.m. in Sugar Hall room 305. Henderson will graduate with the Pharm. D.

Amanda Feldhaus presented her project, "The Development and Implementation of the Honors Program at Northeast Louisiana University," this past Thursday. Feldhaus will be graduating with a B.S. in Toxicology, a minor in Chemistry, a B.A. in History and a B.A. in Spanish.

Dr. Holly Wilson, Chair of the Honors Council and Co-Director of the Honors Program and Interim Head of the Department of History and Government and Associate Professor of Philosophy, says of the presentations by Honors students, "This is the icing on the cake. We ask them to do a special project to exhibit comprehensive learning, and each student picks a project within their field of study. We are all very proud of each of them. The students have worked hard."

"The most important aspect of the Honors Program is that it gives students an opportunity to achieve excellence. It gives them challenging courses, which teach them skills of critical thinking, reading and writing. It broadens their horizons and helps them develop confidence in themselves. It's also a great opportunity for the professors who are involved. With the Honors Program they have outstanding students in the classrooms and are able to run their classes like an upper level seminar because of the high caliber of students, " said Wilson.

Wilson also says the Honors Program can have a profound effect on the student's personal development. "I have seen students come in overwhelmed by the university experience and after one semester of attending Honors classes, they blossom. They love their honors classes, they just thrive. It's a wonderful opportunity to work with these students and have an affect on their lives and watch them develop into confident and competent adults."

The Honors Program at 四色AV began in 1991 with the first graduates in 1995. Honors courses encourage relativity, critical thinking, and an appreciation of the complexity of human thought and values. Small classes taught by innovative faculty members give students the freedom to explore new interests and ideas.

The 四色AV Honors Program is administered by the University Honors Council, a committee consisting of 四色AV faculty members and the student president of the Honors Program. Faculty members are not appointed to the Council. Instead, they must apply for membership and submit their qualifications and interest in the program to a Council vote. This ensures that the faculty members who serve on the Council do so because of their commitment to Honors education

The Honors Program is designed to assist academically talented students who want to build on their high school success and prepare themselves for the unique and exciting challenges of the 21st century. Honors courses provide a strong foundation for future career and life goals by emphasizing the importance of critical thinking and the ability to express creative ideas clearly and effectively. Such skills serve students well, in college and beyond; Honors students find this is a base upon which they continue to build for the rest of their lives.

Students in the program need a 27 ACT or better, a strong high school GPA, and go through an application process. Some students are entered provisionally. 四色AV's honors program standard of 27 is the highest in the state.

The Honors curriculum draws broadly from the Colleges Arts and Sciences in the belief that all students, regardless of major, benefit from a multi-faceted education. Many Honors courses substitute for the general requirements of a student's major. In order to facilitate this merger of curricula, Honors students are advised by a faculty member in their major and by a member of the University Honors Council from their college. Our curriculum is flexible enough to accommodate all majors.

四色AV's program differs from some larger Honors programs in that faculty members are not assigned Honors courses but instead apply to teach them. The University Honors Council, a committee of faculty members representing all the colleges of the University, evaluate each course proposal for its content and methodology. This means that the instructors of Honors courses teach topics that represent interests close to their own hearts and do so because of their commitment to the value of an Honors education.

Incoming freshmen who have a strong high school GPA or score above a 27 on the ACT are encouraged to apply to the program. High school seniors qualify for admission to the Honors Program by having a composite ACT (Enhanced) score of 27 or more and verbal and mathematical scores that do not require enrollment in developmental courses. The Honors Council also considers exceptional students not meeting these criteria but who are able to show good reason for failing to do so. Applications from 四色AV freshmen who earn a 3.5 grade point average after one semester and/or are recommended by faculty are also considered.

If you would like more information on the Honors Program at 四色AV call 318-342-1538, email hwilson@ulm.edu, or visit .

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