Honors Program

Description

The Western Presidential Honors Scholarships, established by the Jack and Marilyn MacAllister Foundation, are elite scholarships awarded to Western’s highest achieving and most deserving students, celebrating the ideals of academic excellence and service to the campus and community. Recipients of the Scholarships will be members of the Western Colorado University Honors Program.

Each year three new Presidential Honors Scholarships of $2500 will be awarded to three incoming freshmen.

In addition, all continuing Honors students may apply for Presidential Honors Scholarships. The following information provides due dates, criteria, and how to prepare your application.

Incoming Applicants:

Eligible candidates should have a high school, transfer, or Western Colorado University grade point average of, at minimum, 3.5 on a 4.0 scale. Candidates must also demonstrate leadership qualities or experience and a commitment to intellectual inquiry and academic challenge.

Incoming candidates should submit the following:

• A cover letter explaining why you want to be a part of Western's Honors Program and what you think the value is in being a part of the Honors Program;
• Two sealed letters of recommendation from teachers, guidance counselors, professors or academic advisors which address the student’s accomplishments and suitability for a college Honors Program;
• A copy of your most recent educational transcript;
• A resume of your qualifications, accomplishments, service, extra-curricular activities;
• Any other documentation that would be helpful in evaluating you as a candidate for this Scholarship.

Applications are MUST BE RECEIVED BY DEC. 6th of the year of application and should be submitted to:

Continuing Applicants (current Western Honors students):

Note that continuing Honors students do not need to have been awarded a previous Presidential Honors Scholarship to apply.

Five Presidential Honors Scholarships of $2,500 each will be awarded to five continuing Honors Students in good standing in the program. Each Presidential Honors Scholar will serve in a leadership position on the Honors Student Advisory Board (SAB) for the coming academic year. Officer positions include President, Vice President, Communications Coordinator, Service & Academic Leadership Committee Chair, and Social & Community Development Committee Chair. Officers will be determined by a majority vote among recipients. Attempts will be made to maintain a balance of majors and class standing within the group, although preference will be given to applicants actively involved with SAB, through planning and participating in Honors extracurricular activities, either as standing officers or as committee members.

All officers are expected to work together to uphold and advance the mission of the SAB: “to bring social connectivity and community involvement to the Honors Program and to be the student face of the program to the campus at large as its selected representatives. We serve as an inclusive and multi-disciplinary positive peer resource for the Honors community that represents diverse areas across campus.”

Continuing candidates should compile and submit the following in one packet, hard copy:

• A copy of the student's most current Western transcript (minimum 3.0 GPA required);
• A letter addressed to the Western Colorado University Foundation Scholarship Program Committee addressing the following:
  • What value should SAB add to student life in the Honors Program;
  • Evidence of Honors leadership abilities through planning and participating in Honors extracurricular activities during the current academic year;
  • Your plan for continuing to demonstrate leadership and Honors community-building activities into the coming academic year;
  • Your detailed plan for completing the Honors Program;
• One sealed letter of recommendation from a faculty member which addresses the student's accomplishments and suitability for a Presidential Honors Scholarship. The faculty member need not currently be teaching in the Honors Program.

Applications for continuing Honors students are DUE BY MARCH 11 of the year of application and should be submitted in hard copy to the Honors Program Director, Taylor Hall 110A. It is the applicant's responsibility to verify that the hard-copy application has been received.

Officer positions:

• The President calls and conducts meetings, facilitates communication between SAB, the Director of the Honors Program, the Honors Council, the CALL/HNRS administrative assistant, and the greater Honors student body;
• The Vice President maintains the budget with financial discipline and keeps records;
• The Communications Coordinator accommodates the growing and fast-paced social media and communication needs of the program to connect SAB initiatives with the existing and prospective Honors communities as well as to the greater campus community;
• Both the Service & Academic Leadership Committee Chair and the Social & Community Development Committee Chair take the lead with event coordination by communicating and facilitating event ideas and proposals within their respective areas to the rest of SAB.

For a detailed list of officer position descriptions, contact the Director of the Honors Program.

The Western Colorado University Foundation Scholarship Program Committee will make selections within a few weeks of the closing deadline. Notification of award recipients will follow shortly thereafter.