Dr. Michael Hartsock, Director
Mission Statement of the James Millikin Honors Scholars Program:
The James Millikin Honors Scholars Program is an interdisciplinary community of dedicated and intellectually curious students and faculty. James Millikin Scholars are afforded enriched curricular and co-curricular opportunities which enable them to reach their highest potential by challenging them intellectually and preparing them for lives of integrity, value, and professional success. James Millikin Scholars not only distinguish themselves within their disciplinary homes, they develop, demonstrate and discover significant cross-disciplinary and interdisciplinary knowledge and perspectives. Based on the belief that excellence requires engagement, the program seeks creative avenues for integrating theory and practice, enhancing critical thinking, examining ethics and values and fostering the development of better citizens and successful leaders.
Goals of the James Millikin Honors Scholars Program: The James Millikin Honors Scholars Program will afford intellectually curious students a forum for the interdisciplinary and collaborative exchange of ideas through distinctive, innovative, and student-driven approaches to learning:
- James Millikin Scholars will understand and apply diverse discipline specific research methods and knowledge.
- James Millikin Scholars will acquire and apply ethical reasoning and critical thinking skills.
- James Millikin Scholars will analyze and evaluate normative and descriptive claims using ethical reasoning and critical thinking skills.
- James Millikin Scholars will analyze and evaluate interdisciplinary scholarship related to topics of local, national and global import which are too large, complex or important to be understood from a single academic discipline or cultural perspective.
- James Millikin Scholars will create individualized & self-motivated scholarship or creative projects.
- James Millikin Scholars will understand and communicate the significance and outcomes of independent scholarship to the honors and University community with oral and written presentations.
- James Millikin Scholars will engage in activities which enrich and serve the Honors, Millikin, and larger community.
James Millikin Honors Scholars Program Overview:
The James Millikin Scholars Program invites entering freshman who achieve either an ACT composite score of 27, or a SAT composite score of 1260, and a record of academic success in college preparatory courses to apply to the Honors Program. Students who are not automatically invited by the above criteria may petition the Honors Director based on other meritorious credentials. Application forms may be requested from the Office of Admission or the Honors Director. James Millikin Scholars must maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.3 out of 4.0. Transfer students who participated in the honors program at their most recent former institution of higher education are invited to petition the Honors Director for admission into Millikin University’s Honors Program. Students transferring from two-year institutions with which Millikin has a formal Honors Program articulation agreement are automatically invited to apply for the Honors Program. Honors coursework will be transferred as determined by the Honors Director and the University Registrar. Students who have earned an Associates of Arts or an Associate of Sciences and successfully completed their two year institution’s honors program will be regarded as having met all 100 and 200 level James Millikin Honors Scholars program requirements.
The James Millikin Honors Scholars Program carries with it several unique opportunities and advantages, including a $1000 per year honors scholarship. Honors courses are taken with all and only James Millikin Scholars, and those courses are small and student driven. Compared to the standard University Studies Program, the James Millikin Honors Scholars curriculum has fewer total required credit hours. Combined, these features give James Millikin Scholars the space and the intellectual environment in which they can flourish both as a scholar and a person. In addition, James Millikin Scholars are permitted to register for classes early, have 24-hour access to the Honors Lounge for studying, meeting and socializing, and those in good standing (cumulative GPA of 3.3 or better) may register for up to 21 credit hours per term at the normal, full-time undergraduate tuition rate specified elsewhere in this catalog.
James Millikin Honors Scholars Program Curricular Requirements
James Millikin Scholars follow the curriculum presented here rather than the University Studies Program Requirements presented elsewhere in the catalog. James Millikin Scholars are still responsible for all other applicable requirements as defined by their academic programs of study (e.g., college and major specific requirements).
It is also expected that James Millikin Scholars contribute significantly to both the honors community and the campus and larger community through service and outreach activities. A minimum of 10 hours of such engagement is required per semester and must be documented through the Honors Program Office. Campus and community engagement consists in any activity you do for whom the primary beneficiary is not you or a small group (or team) of which you are a member. It cannot be something for which you are compensated, nor can it be something that merely advances your personal, team or club’s self-serving goals. However, anything you do, even as the part of such a team or club, that extends beyond the activities of the organization itself does count. Activities done as a part of an organization with a service oriented mission (e.g., APO) do count.
James Millikin Scholars must complete the following courses (29 credits):
