Heather R. Hayton, Robert K. Marshall Professor of English and Director of Honors Program
The Honors Program at Guilford College provides a supportive community for students who are committed to achieving academic excellence and have demonstrated the ability to excel. The Honors Program supports a vision of students as motivated learners and excited researchers, and also as vital co-contributors to our academic community. Through seminars, extracurricular activities, and one-on-one collaboration with faculty members on coursework and research, the program provides students with opportunities to develop their knowledge and skills, to explore multiple disciplines for the love of learning, and to share the fruits of their research with others.
We forge this community of intellectual camaraderie through a sequence of 1-credit seminars for each yearly cohort, interwoven with suggested milestones: presenting scholarly research at GUS or an academic conference, participating in study abroad, undertaking academic mentorship or becoming a teaching assistant, and applying for national and international fellowships and research opportunities. Under the supervision of a faculty advisor, each student completes a senior thesis or project culminating in a public presentation or defense of their work. Regular meetings of the whole program, as well as social and academic events, provide an opportunity for honors students to get to know each other. A faculty council oversees and supports the activities of the program. A student advisory council works with faculty to help design, promote and lead activities, providing intellectual leadership opportunities. In addition to class work and independent study, students in the Honors Program are encouraged to attend professional and undergraduate research conferences. The Honors Program offers travel support to students who present papers, research or creative projects. The program is open to all high-achieving full-time, degree-seeking students majoring in all departments and programs of the College. Successful completion of the Honors Program is noted at graduation and on the student’s transcript.
In keeping with the College’s Quaker heritage, honors students at Guilford participate fully in the larger campus community. They live in residence halls and take courses with the full student body. Honors students are active in a full range of campus activities, including athletics, student government, campus publications, QSLP and Bonner, theater, community service projects and special interest clubs.
Guilford College, a founding member of the North Carolina Honors Association, participates in the National Collegiate Honors Council and Southern Regional Honors Council. Students, faculty members and administrators from the College regularly attend annual conferences for these Honors associations.
Admission Process: Most students are admitted to the Honors Program as entering first-year students. Based on standardized test scores, high school achievement, writing samples and recommendations, students are invited to apply to the program.
In addition, currently matriculated students who have earned a cumulative G.P.A. of 3.5 or higher are invited to join the program.
