Messiah College. Fulbright winner

Transcription

1 Messiah College Fulbright winner Striving to equip students for lives of leadership and service by fostering an intellectually rigorous Christian worldview

2 Graduates of the Messiah Honors Program have a strong sense of calling and vocation. Ultimately, this is what our program is about: providing young men and women with the very best undergraduate education in preparation for lives of service and leadership. Dean C. Curry, Ph.D., program director

3 Inaugurated in 1998, the College Honors Program enrolls more than 400 students from majors in all of the College s four schools. The program provides enhanced learning opportunities in and outside of the classroom without adding additional curricular requirements to the student s course of study. The College Honors Program curriculum is comprised of credit-bearing interdisciplinary honors courses and a senior honors project. Students also meet outside the classroom to participate in congresses and discourses, discussing timely issues and interacting with guests of Messiah s campus. Participants receive opportunities to attend cultural events throughout the academic year, both on and off campus. College Honors Program participants are widely represented in the College s extracurricular athletic, music, theater and service programs, as well as the College s many international education abroad programs. Upon graduation, participants are recognized on their diploma, transcript and through the award of the College Honors Program medallion. Graduates of the College Honors Program have been admitted to the nation s top graduate and professional schools.

4 Eric Metaxas, author of The New York Times No. 1 best-seller Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy, delivers the Messiah College Honors Program keynote lecture at Hostetter Chapel.

5 The College Honors Program enriched my academic life, demanding academic excellence that paved the way for a smooth transition into both graduate education and the workforce. The support of amazing men and women of God both professors and classmates provided a strong support system of mentors and peers who continue to encourage me in faith and professionalism. Most importantly, the Honors Program taught me to integrate Christianity and nursing, encouraging me to lead a life of professional excellence, integrity and compassion as I serve my patients at the most vulnerable times of their lives. Ashleigh K. Smith, R.N., B.S.N., O.C.N., M.S.N. (Yale University), Massachusetts General Hospital

6 The College Honors Program provided me the opportunity to move from equations and the technical information of engineering and enter the realm of often controversial ideas. My fellow students spoke passionately of their view on difficult topics, and we were blessed by professors who made open discussions commonplace. I am especially thankful for these discussions. Michael Foster, Ph.D. (Drexel University), associate professor of mechanical engineering, George Fox University

7 Enriching academic excellence, the College Honors Program strives to equip students for lives of leadership and service by fostering an intellectually rigorous Christian worldview. Participants in the Messiah College Honors Program immediately begin their credit-bearing curriculum with an honors section first-year seminar. Designed to challenge the incoming student s academic abilities while providing a context of support, the first-year seminar is organized around the exploration of a specific topic through reading, writing, research and discussion. Commenting on his positive experiences teaching his honors first-year seminar, An Amish Paradise?, professor David Weaver- Zercher says, While some college students are rather shy about offering their own ideas, honors students are usually very eager to do so. They like to talk about what they re thinking; listen to others arguments and challenges; and then refine their ideas further. In addition to honors first-year seminar, College Honors Program participants take an honors section of Created and Called for Community as well as one interdisciplinary honors course which meet general education requirements. Each semester offers a diverse range of interdisciplinary course topics to choose from, such as Studies in Ethnic Music, Environmental Issues and Sustainable Solutions, Philosophy of Religion or Advertising Ethics. Through a combination of rigorous academics and spiritually challenging course content, students are encouraged to understand how their Christian faith can inform their thinking.

8 Graduate and professional schools attended Boston University Carnegie Mellon University Columbia University Cornell University Dartmouth College Duke University Florida State University Fordham University George Washington University Georgia Institute of Technology Harvard Law School John Jay College of Criminal Justice Johns Hopkins Medical School Michigan State University The Ohio State University University of Oxford (U.K.) Penn State University Pepperdine University Syracuse University Temple University Thomas Jefferson Medical College University of Colorado University of Florida University of Maryland University of Notre Dame University of Pennsylvania Yale Medical School

9 As an incoming honors student, I worried that the College Honors Program would isolate me from my peers by forcing me to spend all my time studying. Yet rather than turning me into a library hermit, the Honors Program encouraged and equipped me to be a well-rounded participant in the Messiah College community. Rachel Petersen, community living programs manager, Paxton Street Ministries, Harrisburg, Pa. A group of Honors Program students traveled to South America where they explored and studied the ancient ruins of Machu Picchu, known as the Lost City of the Incas.

10 The biomedical engineering research project, which I designed for my senior thesis, not only affirmed my commitment to pursuing a career in medical research, but it continually opened doors for me throughout the graduate school application process. Emily Howell, Ph.D. student in biomedical engineering, Cornell University

11 Messiah College graduates have become Rhodes, Fulbright, Carnegie, Truman and Udall scholars. SSCHOLAR SCHOLAR The capstone of the College Honors Program curriculum is the senior honors project. With three options to choose from, students are able to individually design a project that will best serve them personally and professionally. The first fulfillment option is the senior honors seminar, offered every semester. This interdisciplinary course is designed around a thematic focus, defined by the professor, and involves intensive reading, discussion and a written research paper. A second option, more concentrated on the participant s major course of study, is a department-based honors project. Third, students may choose to pursue a variety of alternative projects, including an interdisciplinary thesis, creative arts project or service-learning experience. CHOLAR SCHOLAR College Honors Program students journeyed to Torotoro, Bolivia, where the group performed research on how rural community residents viewed agriculture and tourism.

12 The College Honors Program at Messiah College helped me integrate the essential concepts from the classroom with current scholarship. Moreover, I always found my peers in honors and programsponsored events challenging me to examine not only how Christian faith informs my own scholarship, now in clinical medicine, but also how it continues to impact academic, social and public life. Kevin Driver, M.D. (Columbia University), cardiology fellow, University of Virginia

13 Candidates for the College Honors Program are selected from the pool of first-year applicants who have completed an application for admission by Jan. 15 and meet the program s minimum qualifications. The minimum qualifications for consideration include a 1300 SAT score (critical reading/math) or ACT composite of 29 and a ranking in the top 10 percent of the student s high school class. Eligible candidates are invited to the College for an on-campus interview. Students admitted to the College Honors Program are notified during early March. Most students selected for the College Honors Program receive either full (Trustees, approximately 6) or partial (President s, approximately 60 70) tuition scholarships. College Honors Program participants must maintain a cumulative grade point average of between 3.2 and 3.6, depending on their specific scholarship. The College Honors Program pushed me not simply to a higher difficulty of study, but challenged my academic complacency and way of thinking. As a result, my education was greatly enhanced; my faith developed in exciting ways; and my career aspirations came into clear focus. Jansen Hein, senior accountant, Ernst & Young

14 In addition to the College Honors Program, Messiah College offers a number of other scholars initiatives for gifted and highly motivated students: the Dean s List, Scholar Interns, honor societies, department honors and honors at graduation.

15 The Dean s List Students achieving a grade point average of 3.6 or higher are placed on the Dean s List at the end of each semester. Dean s List students are recognized at the annual College Convocation in the fall and are invited to attend a dinner in their honor during the spring semester. The College s Office of Marketing and Communications also notifies various media in the student s hometown of the student s achievement. Students may earn Dean s List recognition throughout their college career. Scholar Interns The Scholar Intern Program allows highly qualified upperclass students to work in mentor/apprentice relationships with faculty members and to participate in a significant research project. Appointment is made by nomination through the sponsoring faculty member. Participation in the program is supported by a grant to each scholar intern. Junior and senior students may be appointed as scholar interns. Honor Societies The College is affiliated with several national honor societies in selected academic disciplines. Students who excel in their academic major may be invited to join the respective honor society in the junior or senior year. Department Honors Academic departments may provide selected honors courses for students who have demonstrated exceptional ability in their academic discipline. Students whose honors work is of such high quality as to merit a grade of A will graduate with honors in their major field. Graduation with honors in an academic discipline is recognized at Commencement and is noted on the student s diploma and transcript. Only senior students may participate in department honors. Honors at Graduation The College awards three levels of honors to seniors at commencement, based on at least 60 hours of study at Messiah: summa cum laude (for a cumulative grade point average of 3.9 or above), magna cum laude (for a GPA of at least 3.6, but less than 3.9) and cum laude (for a GPA of at least 3.3, but less than 3.6).

16 The College Honors Program allowed my Messiah experience to be more personalized. I had ready access to excellent faculty, and honors classes were taught by the best of them. But the greatest part of the program was my classmates. Both lively and insightful, they challenged me by their first-rate scholarship. Michael Sauder, M.D., M.P.H. (The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine) Fulbright winner 13_1628 see anew