The Cormier Honors College

Dr. Alix D. Dowling Fink, Dean
Jessica B. Znosko, Coordinator for Student Support and Advising

The Cormier Honors College for Citizen Scholars is designed to offer attractive and challenging opportunities for intellectual growth to well-prepared and highly-motivated students. Its theme is citizen service, which students demonstrate through their commitment to their community both inside and beyond the classroom. The emphasis in honors courses is on teaching students to articulate an understanding of a given field, to relate that field of knowledge to others, to think independently, and to write and speak clearly and concisely. Honors classes are generally small in size and provide opportunities for intensive class discussion and innovative teaching.

Some honors classes are specially designated sections of courses required for general education; others are especially created for honors students and may be team-taught and interdisciplinary in nature. Many upper-level courses which do not have prohibitive prerequisites may be designated as honors courses. Moreover, students formally enrolled in the Honors College can arrange for up to three advanced courses in the major field to be enhanced for honors credit. Honors students who also elect to undertake Senior Honors Research may count six hours of that work in place of two of the three required upper-level courses.

Entering students are invited to join the Honors College based on a screening of their high school records and their SAT scores. The Honors College welcomes applications from students at the second-semester level who attain a cumulative grade point average of 3.25 and from incoming transfer students who are in good standing in an honors program at their former college. Any Longwood student who meets the qualifications for admission to the Honors College, but who does not wish to take a full range of honors work, may register for one or more classes on a space-available basis.

Honors scholarships are available for those entering the program, and they may be retained as long as the recipient makes satisfactory progress toward completing honors requirements and maintains honors grades. To remain in the Honors College a student must maintain an average of 3.25 in honors courses and an overall GPA of 3.25, computed at the end of each year. Honors graduates are recognized at graduation (cum honore) and their honors standing is permanently recorded on their transcripts. Requirements for successful completion of the program are as follows:

Maintenance of a minimum grade point average of 3.25, both overall and for all honors courses.
The successful completion of eight honors courses, including either Honors Longwood Seminar 100 or Honors 202, and Honors Goal 13. Three of the eight courses must be numbered 300, and above.
Completion of a credit-bearing study-abroad program.
Completion of a senior-level, honors project (i.e., the e-portfolio).

Students enrolled in the Honors College have available to them in their first year housing on the honors floor of Wheeler Hall; upper-level students may elect to stay on in Wheeler.

All Honors students are eligible to apply to make presentations at state, regional, and national honors conferences, and, at the third-year level, to participate in the National Honors Semester, which is offered regularly at designated campuses in the U.S. and abroad.