2024 is a cause for celebration for MSSU’s Honors Program. This year, the Program observes its 40th anniversary, a significant milestone for the university.
Established in 1984, the Honors Program was created as an academic pathway for high-achieving students through challenges and opportunities supporting their leadership abilities, interdisciplinary thinking, and engagement as civic and global citizens. MSSU wanted to build a community of scholars by seeking the most promising students, regardless of major, origin, or economic status. The Honors Program helps students to not only realize their undergraduate potential but to achieve it.
Honors courses are comprehensive with a larger focus on class discussions and seminar-style learning. Students are often challenged to think beyond their discipline, enhancing their critical thinking skills through a program that celebrates interdisciplinary studies. The courses build upon one another deepening the educational experiences, fostering debate, and personal reflection in a variety of disciplines. Those who complete the Honors Program earn a certificate in Honors Interdisciplinary Studies.
The Program also requires all students to take a service-learning course, and a research methods course that teaches them the fundamentals of research and write an original research paper, which often leads Honors students to win awards at the annual MSSU Student Research Symposium. Additionally, students are required to study abroad during their tenure at MSSU, helping them become global citizens and gain intellectual development through a culture apart from their own.
To celebrate the 40th anniversary, the Honors Program hosted a reunion at the Ralph L. Gray Alumni Center, commemorating the scholarship and community the Program has built.
“The Honors Program making it to its 40th anniversary is a testament to all students, faculty, and staff who have worked so hard over the years to ensure that MSSU offers a distinguished learning environment for high-achieving students,” said Dr. Michael Howarth, director of the Honors Program. “This an interdisciplinary program that helps them grow personally and professionally, both inside and outside of the classroom.”
To support the Honors Program, please visit www.mssu.edu/advancement/giving/givenow.php
