The University Honors Program is a selective program which encourages a deep, rigorous, and creative engagement with the broad intellectual interests cultivated within the liberal art tradition at the heart of Friends University. By building a community of highly motivated and academically adventurous students, it promotes the value of excellence, invites students to make the most of their time at Friends, and to take on intellectual challenges which prepare them for continuing to engage the life of the mind beyond graduation.
Students admitted to the Honors Program will receive the University Honors Academic Scholarship, in addition to their existing financial aid package. Progress toward University Honors graduation will involve participating in 1) regular Honors Seminars, which are intense discussion-based classes jointly led by select faculty and the participating students, focusing on different key texts and problems from the whole history of the liberal arts, and 2) advanced sections of different general education classes, reserved for University Honors and other high-performing students. Finally, students admitted to the Honors Program will be expected to complete a research project (usually a year-long process) in conjunction with select faculty, thus taking the work they must do to complete their major programs to a greater level of excellence.
In sum, the University Honors program:
- Invites students to develop greater critical and creative thinking skills
- Introduces students to others with similar levels of intellectual curiosity and ambition
- Brings a higher degree of integration into students’ study of their chosen major fields
- Teaches by example and participation the value of open discussion and civic engagement
- Encourages critical reflections upon the meaning of a liberal arts education
- Provides opportunities for conference and publications experiences
- Supports students in conducting high quality research and creative work
If you think University Honors might be for you, please download, review, and submit the application now! Applications for University Honors are considered (with some exceptions) during Spring registration prior to every new academic school year.
Contact Information
Dr. Russell Arben Fox
Director of University Honors
Friends University
2100 W. University Ave.
Wichita, KS 67213
Phone: 316-295-5827
Email: foxr@friends.edu