Faculty

Thomas H. Whitaker, Director
David Ballew, Honors Seminar Coordinator
Danny Moore, Honors College Student Association Advisor 

Mission Statement

The Honors College is a curriculum designed for talented and extremely motivated students who want to gain the most from their university experience. Participants are given the opportunity to grow on many levels-academically, culturally, and socially. Honors courses are specially designed to develop students’ writing and discussion skills and their ability to think critically beyond the norm. Honors students will also have the opportunity to attend cultural events, take field trips, and build social responsibility through community service. The college is designed to foster abilities in the student that can be used throughout their academic and professional careers.

Educational Outcomes

1. Honors students will demonstrate the ability to think, analyze, investigate, and discover beyond the usual academic requirements.
2. Honors students will foster an attitude of responsibility to self and community and develop an appreciation for culture and the arts as central to the quality of life of a people.
3. Honors students will undertake and bring to completion, in a disciplined way, a large-scale intellectual investigation and present the results to the campus community.
4. Honors students will develop scholarly habits essential in graduate and professional school.

Benefits of the Honors College

Honors students will enjoy many special benefits by being enrolled in the program. Some of these benefits are:

• Intellectually challenging curriculum
• Classes that encourage creative interaction
• Dynamic professors interested in enriching students’ academic experience
• Strong support network among students and faculty in the program
• Community service opportunities
• Recognition of students’ intellectual ability, vision, and commitment, which helps to open up possibilities for future study and employment
• Participation in research conferences
• Honors Study Center
• Opportunities to publish original work
• Extended borrowing privileges at Whitaker Library
• Early registration for courses
• Recognition at awards ceremonies
• Invitations to special lectures and cultural events
• Development of new and diverse friendships, a sense of accomplishment, and a wider perspective on issues and life itself
• Honors designation on transcripts and diploma
• Recognition at graduation
• Membership in the Honors College Student Association

Requirements for Honors

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To graduate from Chowan University with an Honors College diploma, students must complete twenty credit hours of honors courses and maintain an overall GPA of 3.25 or higher. Up to five of these credit hours may be applied toward general education or major field requirements. The remaining hours may count as free electives toward the completion of a degree program. The Honors Critical Thinking and Composition requirements will be waived for rising sophomores and transfer students who enter the program.

If an Honors College student’s GPA drops below a 3.25, that student will be placed on a low GPA status alert. Failure to raise the GPA to at least 3.25 before graduation will prevent the student from receiving an Honors College diploma even if all required coursework has been completed.