2017-2018 Academic Catalog 
    
    Mar 19, 2024  
2017-2018 Academic Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Honors College


John Rowan, Dean
Heather Fielding, Associate Dean
Vanessa Quinn, Associate Dean
Brandon Rukes, Program Coordinator
Michael Kenny, Academic Advisor
Amy Libauskas, Academic Advisor
Jennifer Fraga, Secretary

www.pnw.edu/honors

Hammond Location: SUL Building Room 320; Phone: 219-989-3160

Westville Location: Library Student Faculty Building room 069; Phone 219-785-5366

Mission

The Honors College at Purdue University Northwest is dedicated to enhancing the learning experiences of highly motivated and academically exceptional students. Students in the Honors College engage in advanced coursework, community outreach, substantive research, study abroad, cultural and social activities, and regular interaction with the university’s most outstanding students and professors. Through these kinds of special learning opportunities, the Honors College fosters academic excellence, critical thinking, vital leadership skills, social and civic responsibility, and other virtues required of outstanding citizens and leaders.

Application

Available at www.pnw.edu/honors. The application to the Honors College is separate from the application to the university. Although there are no firm criteria for admission, students with a high school GPA under 3.4 or SAT scores (or ACT equivalent) of under 1100 (verbal+math) will have difficulty being admitted. Applications, which require essays and letters of recommendation, are reviewed on the basis of academic achievement and promise, leadership potential, extracurricular involvement, personal character, and other factors relevant to the student’s overall potential.

Students are encouraged to apply as incoming freshmen, though there are some slots available for upper class students (transfer students or current Purdue Northwest students) who have completed no more than 66 credit hours and have a minimum of four semesters in residence remaining until graduation.

Benefits

Scholarship ($2500/year, provided requirements are maintained);

Membership in a community of like-minded, similarly motivated students;

Experiential learning, especially in areas of leadership, service and research;
Specialized courses with fellow Honors College students;
One-on-one research opportunities with university faculty;
Study Abroad scholarships available

No extra credit hours required; Honors College coursework is built into the student’s plan of study. (Plans of study available on the Honors College website or in SUL 320.)

Student Leadership

Executive Board

President: Caitlyn Swan

Vice President for Campus Life: Matthew Kresich

Vice President for College Media: Emma Rose

Vice Presidents for Student Engagement: Brianna Buckner and Kasey Kulesa

Vice Presidents for Student Mentoring: Marines Chapa and Samantha Warren

Vice Presidents for Student Research: Jennifer Howard and Gina Marzilli

Committees: Academic and Cultural Events, Community Involvement, Newsletter, Social Events, Social Media, Yearbook

Curriculum

Curriculum (Incoming Freshman)

Semester 1

HONR 11100  Honors Cohort I 

Semester 2

HONR 11200  Honors Cohort II 

Semester 3

HONR 21100  Honors Cohort III

Semester 4 or 5

Choose One:

HONR 39000  Junior Level Topics

HONR 39100  Honors Humanities Topics

HONR 39200  Honors Social Science Topics

Semester 6

HONR 40000  Honors Capstone Project 

Semester 7/8

Honors Thesis

Any of Semester 3-7

Honors Stacked Course

Honors Elective

Curriculum (Upper Class Admission)

HONR 21200  Upperclass Introduction to Honors

Semester 4 or 5

Choose One:

HONR 39000  Honors Special Topics

HONR 39100  Honors Humanities Topics

HONR 39200  Honors Social Science Topics

Semester 6

HONR 40000  Honors Junior Seminar 

Semester 7/8

Honors Thesis

Any of Semester 4-7

Honors Stacked Course

Honors Elective

 

Additional Requirements: Volunteer work; regular participation in Honors College activities; two annual individual meetings with Honors College advisor

Honors Thesis Option: Students not in the Honors College may submit a proposal to write an Honors Thesis. Students whose proposals are accepted enjoy benefits but do not receive a scholarship. Proposals should be submitted by the end of the student’s sixth semester. Interested students should contact the Dean.

Vision: Learn, Think, Lead

Learn

Foundations: Students will acquire knowledge appropriate to their chosen programs of study;

Perspectives: Students will be exposed to new and diverse viewpoints about humanity and society;

Exploration: Students will develop a love of learning and the ability, going forward in life, to learn how to learn.

Think

Reflection: Students will consider carefully the foundational knowledge they acquire and the various perspectives to which they are introduced;

Analysis: Students will master the ability to scrutinize particular viewpoints and their underlying rationales in an effort to identify what is sound and what is invalid;

Synthesis: Students will learn how to assemble into a coherent whole the tenable components of the viewpoints analyzed.

Lead

Vision: Students will develop the comprehensive skills necessary to transform a coherent collection of tenable ideas into a tangible vision, complete with justification and prospects for feasible application.

Communication: Students will acquire the tools required to convey – verbally, in written form, graphically, technologically and in other ways – the substance of their visions to individuals, organizations and society at large.

Citizenship: Students will internalize the principle that individuals and institutions are part of a larger whole and will graduate with the understanding that outstanding leadership requires a strong sense of empathy and an ongoing awareness of how actions and practices can have local and global impacts.