Welcome

Factoids about Honors

Being a ULV Honors Program participant confers certain benefits and "perks". Some of these are more widely publicized than others, but all of them may be applicable to you. For example:

Honors students receive preferential registration privileges.

This means you may register for your classes on the first day of registration, along with seniors. It's a good idea to get your program approved by your advisor (your major advisor or the Honors Director) prior to the first day of registration, so you'll be all set to get into those high-demand classes.

Honors students are given special consideration when renewing merit-based scholarships.

Most students accepted to ULV with Honors at Entrance receive financial aid, often based in part upon their previous academic achievement. Additionally, in some cases, admission to the Honors Program may allow students to be eligible for an Honors Incentive Award of $1,000 per year, depending on their particular financial aid package. N.B. Financial aid advisors may not always be aware of your status in the Program when preparing award packages; be sure you bring this fact to their attention!

Honors students may be eligible to attend national and regional Honors conferences and to present papers at such meetings.

In the past, ULV has sponsored Honors student's participation in conferences held in San Francisco, Pittsburgh, San Diego, and Coeur d' Alene, Idaho. These are wonderful opportunities to present your work in a professional setting, as well as to meet other Honors students from all over the United Sates.

National Collegiate Honors Council (NCHC) sponsors "Honors semesters" for which you may want to apply.

Honors semesters allow you to earn ULV Honors credit and sometimes even hold an internship while studying at another campus within the HCHC organization. Honors semesters, usually organized around an interdisciplinary theme, may be held in the U.S. or abroad. One ULV Honors student participated in an Honors semester in New York City, interning with a publishing company. Another spent a semester at Oxford University. The Honors Semester experience is competitive, and there are usually quite a few applicants. There is also a possibility of spending January Interterm at another NCHC-affiliated college or university. See the Honors Director for options.

If you enjoy writing, the Honors Program can help you publish your work!

Several ULV Honors student have contributed columns to the National Honors Report, a newsletter read by over 1100 constituent members throughout the US! Other NCHC colleges publish literary magazines to which you may also submit your work for possible publication. ULV Honors (intermittently) publishes a newsletter, Honoroll. Editing this newsletter can be an interesting and useful component of a Journalism major and can also earn you academic credits! Ask your advisor.

Do you excel at writing research papers?

The Carol and Kenneth Fetty Honors Essay Competition, held every spring semester at ULV, offers $300, $200, and $100 awards to the three best research papers submitted for a ULV Honors seminar during the current academic year. Winners are announced at the Academic Awards Night ceremony every spring. In addition, truly outstanding research papers may be submitted to the John and Ethel Portz National Honors Essay Competition, sponsored by the NCHC. Portz Competition winners are invited to the national Honors conference, where they are recognized at a special banquet and receive cash awards.

Love "Jeopardy?" Enjoy Trivial Pursuit?

Then you may want to be a contestant or an emcee at our one-of-a-kind Honors Bowl game, a free-for-all battle of wits starring our own Honors students and professors! Discover just how trivial ULV folks can be!

If you enjoy working with young children, "The College Connection" may be right for you!

Initiated in January 1997, "The College Connection" links ULV Honors students and 4th and 5th grade GATE students in a local school district. Honors students plan and teach mini-courses to the children while earning either Service Learning or Colloquium credit. This is an ideal project for future teachers, counselors or anyone who likes children.

Become a part of the Honors Speaker Series

Each Spring and Fall semester, the Honors Program sponsors campus-wide lectures by a prominent speaker on a wide variety of topics. If you'd like to help organize next year's Speaker Series or want to propose names of future speakers, see the Honors Director.

Ave atque Vale, or "Hail and Farewell"

The Honors Program starts off each new academic year with a "Welcome Back" reception. Held traditionally during the first or second week of the Fall semester, this party brings together new and returning Honors students, faculty members and administrators in an informal atmosphere. It's a great way to meet your classmates and teachers before the term gets under way. The last, and perhaps most significant, event of your Honors experience at ULV is the Honors Commencement Reception, held early on Commencement Day morning in the Harrison Art Gallery. This is the moment everyone waits for. Honors graduates receive their gold medallions, and participants receive their framed certificates of completion. Family and friends are all welcome, or course!

Any questions? We hope so!

The list of Honors activities and privileges continues to grow each year. Our horizons expand as our imaginations soar.