David L. Boren Hall, 1300 Asp Avenue
Norman, OK 73019-0385
Phone: (405) 325-5291
FAX: (405) 325-7109
Internet: http://www.ou.edu/honors
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David L. Boren Hall, 1300 Asp Avenue |
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Robert Con Davis-Undiano, Ph.D., Dean and Neustadt Professor of Comparative
Literature
Carolyn S. Morgan, Ph.D., Associate Dean and Associate Professor of Sociology,
Women’s Studies, and Human Relations
Christopher Howard, Ph.D., Director of Leadership Center
Melanie L. Wright, Ph.D., Director of Honors Curriculum
Jeffrey A. Bloomgarden, M.S., Director of OU Scholars Program
Christina M. Norman, M.H.R., Assistant Director
Carol Carr, M.Ed., Senior Academic Counselor
Laura Cullen, M.Ed., Senior Academic Counselor
Jenifer Arndt, M.Ed., Academic Counselor
Professors Davis-Undiano, Gillon; Associate Professors Alpers, Ehrhardt, Hamerla, Howard, Lewis, Morgan, Tracy; Assistant Professors Minks, Park, Trujillo.
The Honors College Curriculum at the University of Oklahoma provides academically talented students with the opportunity to develop their intellectual potential to the fullest. The Honors College has its own faculty but also draws from the best research and teaching faculty from all undergraduate colleges of the university to offer an enhanced curriculum at both the lower and upper divisions. Students can enroll in the small sections (generally 19 or fewer) of honors-designated general education courses, interdisciplinary Honors classes developed by the Honors faculty, team-taught colloquia, the Oxford University summer program, and independent study and research with faculty in the student’s major discipline. The Honors College also encourages active participation in OU’s Education Abroad program, the Oklahoma Scholar-Leadership Enrichment Program seminars taught by nationally recognized scholars, and the Feaver-MacMinn Seminar.
The Honors College does not confer a degree. It confers the cum laude designation upon graduation. Students in the Honors College can major in any of the academic disciplines offering undergraduate bachelor’s degrees at the University of Oklahoma. Those who complete the Honors College curricular requirements and achieve a final cumulative grade point average of 3.40 or higher will earn a degree designation of either cum laude, magna cum laude, or summa cum laude. This is the most prestigious undergraduate degree designation attainable at the University and is indicated on both the final transcript and the diploma.
The Honors College also administers a talent-based academic scholarship program for direct-from-high school freshmen, the OU Scholars Program. Qualified applicants are awarded one of five levels of scholarships: Regents Scholar, Award of Excellence, Honor Scholar, Valedictorian Scholar, and University Scholar.
Freshmen entering the University of Oklahoma are eligible to apply to the Honors College Curriculum if students:
a. have an ACT of 29 or higher, or they have an SAT total of 1,280 or higher; and,
b. rank in the top 10 percent of graduates in their high school class, or have a high school grade point of at least a 3.75.
Transfer students who come to the University of Oklahoma with 15 or more college credit hours and a transfer grade point average of 3.40 or higher are eligible to apply. OU students who have earned 15 or more hours of OU credit and maintained a cumulative GPA of 3.40 or higher are eligible to apply.
Final admission into the Honors College is determined by evaluation of the Honors College application form, which includes a written essay of 400-500 words.
Continued good standing in the Honors College requires an OU retention/combined retention grade point average of 3.40 and progress towards completion of the curricular requirements of the Honors College.
Honors courses are intended to be included in the hours earned toward completion of the student’s undergraduate degree. To graduate cum laude, students must complete at least 20 hours of Honors credit (which includes HON 2973), take an Honors colloquium in their junior or senior year, and complete a Senior project (Honors Thesis) by working closely with a faculty mentor in their major field. Many honors students publish their thesis or present their work at professional conventions.
The Honors College Leadership Center offers courses and symposia and will annually sponsor a leadership conference. It is the campus center for the study of leadership principles and practice and will be an OU clearinghouse for many internships, externships, and other service learning opportunities
Honors students have the opportunity to spend a summer studying at one of the world’s premier universities. Students begin their studies in Norman and then travel to England, completing the class at Brasenose College, Oxford University. Unlike most American programs at Oxford, our students work in tutorials with distinguished Oxford professors, the traditional teaching format at Oxford and Cambridge for centuries.
Each semester the Honors College awards more than $12,000 to undergraduate students and their faculty mentors (up to $500 to each student) for research and creative activity. Award recipients and other student scholars present their research at Under graduate Research Day, an annual conference hosted by the Honors College.
David L. Boren House is a housing option for Honors students. The academic offices for the Honors College and the OU Scholars Program are housed in this residence hall. Faculty offices, seminar rooms, study areas, a computer lab, TV rooms, and a courtyard are also a part of the facility. Non-Honors students can contract to live in this residence hall.
All Honors students are members of the Honors Student Association (HSA). The HSA is an advisory group to the Honors College and is an official student organization at OU. As such, it receives funds from the University of Oklahoma Student Association to sponsor projects of interest to honors students and to the University community at large.
The Honors College works with Honors students to prepare them for such prestigious competitions as the Marshall Scholarship, the Goldwater Scholarship, the Mellon Fellowship, the Rhodes Scholarship, the Truman Scholarship, the national-level Washington Center Internship Program, and other national competitions. Information and applications for these scholarships and internships are kept in the Honors College Office.
The mission of the Honors College Leadership Center is to accelerate its students’ leadership odyssey as they pursue purposeful lives marked by good-citizenship, self-awareness, critical inquiry, personal reflection and intellectual curiosity. The Center serves as a forum for both discussion and exploration of significant leadership issues contemporary and classic. Its courses, lectures, seminars, internships, fellowships and research projects emphasize the relationship between self and group and between theory and practice, providing students with the intellectual and practical tools necessary to lead in an active way regardless of the path they choose.
Jeffrey A. Bloomgarden, M.S., Director of OU Scholars Program
Christina M. Norman, M.H.R., Assistant Director
Carol Carr, M.Ed., Senior Academic Counselor
Laura Cullen, M.Ed., Senior Academic Counselor
Jenifer Arndt, M.Ed., Academic Counselor
The OU Scholars Program is the largest source of talent-based academic scholarships for direct-from-high school freshmen entering the University of Oklahoma. Qualified applicants are awarded one of five levels of tuition waiver scholarships: Regents Scholar (four-year renewable), Award of Excellence (four-year renewable), Honor Scholar (four-year renewable), Valedictorian/Salutatorian Scholar (four-year renewable) and University Scholar (one-year non-renewable). Selection criteria for Award of Excellence, Honor and University Scholars Awards include high school performance (as measured by GPA or class rank) and academic potential (as measured by ACT or SAT scores). Students who receive the Regents Scholar Award must be recipients of the Oklahoma Academic Scholars (OAS) Award from the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education. Recipients of the Valedictorian/Salutatorian Scholarship must be ranked number one in their class; other criteria include applicant’s ACT or SAT scores.
In order to apply for any of the scholarships, students should complete the Freshman Scholarship Application and submit it by February 1st. The OU Scholars Selection Committee begins making awards in early November so that students and their families are informed of their awards in a timely fashion.
Recipients of the Award of Excellence, Honor Scholar and Valedictorian awards must earn 28 hours for each academic year. Students who receive the Regents Scholar and University Scholar awards must maintain full-time enrollment status (12 credit hours) each semester. Scholars receiving the five-year renewable Regents Scholarship, or one of the four-year renewable scholarships (Award of Excellence, Honor Scholar or Valedictorian Scholar) must maintain a combined retention GPA of at least 2.80 for continuation of the scholarship each year. The GPA is verified by the OU Scholars Program at the end of the spring semester following the freshman year and every semester thereafter. Students who fall below the 2.80 GPA are placed on probation without funding. They have one full academic year from the time they are placed on probation to raise their combined retention GPA to a 2.80. Students who are still below a 2.80 GPA by the end of the probation year lose their scholarships.
OU Scholars receive specialized advising through the OU Scholars Program during summer pre-enrollment and throughout their freshman year. In addition, the Program provides these services to incoming National Merit, National Award, and ConocoPhillips Scholars during their freshman year. Scholars who have declared an Allied Health pre-professional major will be advised in the OU Scholars Program until they transfer to The Health Sciences Center or change their major. The academic advisers focus on the concerns and issues of academically talented students. Scholars meet with the academic advisers to plan their coursework and obtain information about scholarships, degree requirements, registration procedures, and University policies. In addition, Scholars may discuss career options, study skills, time management strategies and personal issues with their adviser.
Each summer the OU Scholars Program conducts a Scholars Summer Enrollment Program at David L. Boren Hall during May and June for first-year OU Scholars, National Merit, National Award and ConocoPhillips Scholars. Phillips Scholars enroll on a special Phillips Scholar day in late May. Scholars are assessed, advised, scheduled and enrolled for the fall semester. The program is informal, highly interactive and serves to introduce Scholars and their parents to the University community. The OU Scholars Program also has a program to advise and enroll first year Scholars during July.
All OU Scholars participate in a workshop held on the weekend prior to the start of classes in August. The workshop is designed to assist students in making a successful transition from high school to college. Students learn techniques and strategies for managing time and stress, dealing with problems and taking advantage of the cultural activities and student services on campus. The workshop is interactive and participatory, including lectures, discussions and exercises.
OU Scholars are allowed to enroll early during the pre-enrollment periods for the spring semester of their freshman year and the fall semester of their sophomore year. National, ConocoPhillips, and Regents Scholars may enroll early each of their undergraduate semesters.
The OU Departmental Advanced Standing Exams are offered by various departments at OU to allow a student to earn advanced standing course credit. Fees for the OU departmental advanced standing exams are waived for OU, National Merit, National Award and ConocoPhillips Scholars. Note that these advanced standing exams are not the same as CLEP exams. Scholars must pay to take CLEP exams.
Recipients of the University Scholar award and other sophomores who did not receive university-wide four-year scholarships may be eligible to apply for the Alumni, Dr. James L. Nicholson, and the R. Boyd Gunning retention scholarships. These awards are cash scholarships renewable for up to three years. They are awarded to students following the completion of their freshman year at OU. Students who have earned a 3.70 cumulative GPA or above at the end of their Freshman year will be considered for these scholarships. Ten applicants are chosen each summer to receive the R. Boyd Gunning scholarship, 30-50 students are awarded the Alumni scholarship, and 40 students are awarded the Dr. James L. Nicholson scholarship. Additional information and application forms for these scholarships are available in the OU Scholars Program office March 1. Applications must be received by May 1.
September 2006