Founded in 2013, the Honors College at Lander University celebrates its ten-year anniversary this academic year. Since its inception, hundreds of Lander students have graduated from Lander University as Honors College graduates, embarking on exciting career paths or completing graduate and postgraduate degrees at some of the country’s top institutions.
As we commemorate this significant milestone for the Honors College, let’s take a look at the top ten things our students love most about the Honors College at Lander.
For more information, or to apply, visit www.lander.edu/honors.
10. The academic advising (and career/life advice) you get from Dr. Craton and Dr. Barnette
Dr. Lillian Craton and Dr. Sean Barnette go far beyond their roles as professors of English. As the director and assistant director of the Honors College (respectively), they are the encouraging voices students often need during their time at Lander. They have put many Honors College students on path towards future career success, and they both continue to be the encouraging voices and the biggest cheerleaders of our members. We would be remiss if we didn’t start this list off right by giving them the recognition they deserve.
9. Access to the Honors College lounge… and the snacks!
Members of the Honors College at Lander have exclusive access to the Honors College lounge located on the third floor of the Carnell Learning Center. This gives students the space they need to work collaboratively on projects, complete homework assignments, and even play a few games of Cards Against Humanity in between classes. Dr. Craton also keeps the lounge stocked with snacks, which come in handy during intense study sessions.
8. Honors College housing options
In the Honors College, your peers aren’t just classmates - they’re lifelong friends. In addition to having the chance to learn together in the classroom, Honors College students can also choose to live together by sharing suites with fellow members in Centennial Hall. It’s a lot like the Gryffindor common room, except the Honors College doesn’t have its own Quidditch team… at least not yet!
7. Enriching Honors College seminars
As an Honors College student, you’ll have a full list of fun and exciting courses to choose from each semester that can complement your chosen major, as well as challenge you to apply classroom learning to complex situations. You might take Contemporary Asian Pop Culture and The Sociology of Food one semester. You might take Inventing Languages and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) the next. Honors courses are academically challenging, but equally rewarding.
6. Exclusive study tour, “break-away” and study abroad opportunities
To complete the Honors College curriculum, students will complete one “break-away” opportunity. This means a semester-long study abroad opportunity, or a summer internship “away” from home, such as an internship in Washington DC. Members also take a course on travel which includes a trip to a larger metropolitan area, such as New York City, and have the chance to participate in Honors College study tours in the summer months.
5. Unique internship opportunities
All Lander students are encouraged to take their Lander education into the real world to gain additional hands-on experience and build relationships with industry professionals. Members of the Honors College benefit from having a strong network of Honors College connections that have helped some students land internships that stand out on resumes and graduate school applications. Recent students have worked with the Organization of American States, the National Federation of Independent Businesses, the American Chemical Society, and the Tupiza Tortoise Center of the Galapagos Islands… just to name a few!
4. Campus involvement
Honors College members are some of the most active participants of Lander’s student life. The social committee routinely plans networking events, community service projects and social gatherings throughout the academic year. Meanwhile, Honors College students are known to serve in leadership positions in a number of clubs and organizations outside the Honors College as well.
3. The chance to showcase your research at academic conferences
In the Honors College, you don’t just simply take the courses you need for your college degree. Instead, you’re challenged to think about how the lessons you learn inside the classroom are applicable to the world outside of college. The Honors College has paid for hundreds of students to participate in academic conferences across the country, sharing what they’ve learned at college with a larger audience and explaining how their research affects their communities.
2. Priority registration for classes
Of course, we can’t forget why you’re at Lander in the first place: to receive a rewarding education that will help you launch your career. Membership in the Honors College comes in handy each and every semester when registering for courses. Maybe there’s a particular course you want to take, or a specific section that works best with your busy schedule. Being a member of the Honors College means you get to register before a lot of your other classmates.
1. Meaningful connections with students from different class years and majors
The Honors College has made many of its alumni lifelong friends. Some have been roommates and co-workers after graduation from Lander. We’ve even had a few Honors College alumni weddings, too. Lander’s Honors College is made up of students from across campus. Some study literature, music, history, and political science. Others study biology, sociology, mathematics and chemistry. The Honors College brings together individuals from a variety of different academic disciplines, cultures and walks of life.
The Honors College at Lander University is a place where students learn, not just from their professors, but from each other. Among all the other reasons to love our Honors College, this is most worthy of the “number one” spot on this list. We love the Honors College and its commitment to serving some of Lander’s best and brightest students. And, we invite those who are applying to Lander to consider applying to the Honors College, too.
The Lander Alumni Association invites all Honors College Alumni to return for Homecoming in February as we celebrate ten years of the Lander University Honors College. Dr. Lillian Craton, professor of English and director of the Honors College, will be presenting on the history and "high points" of Honors at Lander, and alumni will have the chance to share stories of love, family and success that all started with their Lander Honors College experience. For more information on Homecoming dates and events, visit www.lander.edu/homecoming.
Ready to take the next step towards your Lander University journey? Apply now www.lander.edu/apply.