Special Features
Shepherd University Honors Center
Martin Hall is the home of the Shepherd University Honors Center and is reserved for the work of Honors students. The Honors Center Office (room 101) houses the Honors administrative offices, as well as a study lounge and computer center equipped with tables, lounge chairs, computers, and a printer. An Onity Card entry system ensures that Honors students have access to the Honors Center 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Honors Housing
Martin Hall is also the place that many Honors students call home. As long as there is sufficient demand, the entire residence is reserved for Honors students, and it offers suite-style living, easy access to parking and the Honors Center, and the opportunity to be a part of an active and vibrant community of Honors students.
Honors Classes
Students in the Honors Program have the privilege of being able to take as many Honors courses as they like. Honors courses are smaller than regular classes, employ innovative approaches to teaching and learning, and encourage lots of interaction among students and professors. Almost all Honors courses also include one or more field trips each semester.
Special Social Events
Each semester, the Honors Program at Shepherd schedules a variety of social events just for Honors students. These events may include a welcome dinner, visits to different museums, and events in the region. There are other events such as an ice cream social or a night out at the movies in Shepherdstown, midterm neck massages, free breakfasts, a picnic and barbeque in the Fall for Honors students and their families during Shepherd’s Family Weekend, and each year students in the Honors Program may get the chance to visit New York City for a weekend.
Honors Spring Orientation
Students who have been accepted to the Honors Program for the fall have the opportunity to experience campus life firsthand. High school seniors attending the orientation are greeted by a “host” student, a current member of the Honors Program, with whom they stay overnight and attend classes the next day.
Honors Conferences
Shepherd University maintains membership in the Southern Regional Honors Council and the National Collegiate Honors Council. Opportunities to present research, serve on student panels, and attend workshops at the yearly conferences of each organization are available to members in good standing in the Honors Program.
The Honors Advisory Board
The Honors Advisory Board advises the Honors Director about the administration and development of the University Honors Program. The Board’s standard membership includes one faculty representative elected from each College, two students of each class rank elected from the current Honors students, and one representative from the Residence Life Office. Voting ex officio members include current Shepherd faculty who were past Honors Directors, who may serve at their convenience. Student terms of office are one academic year; other members have no term limits. When the position of Honors Director becomes vacant, the Board will serve as the search committee to find a new Director, limiting for this purpose the number of student representatives serving on the Board to two, chosen by the current student Board members from their number. One of the faculty College representatives serving on the Board will act as Chair of the search committee. The Board’s choice of a candidate is forwarded to the Provost for approval, and the Director of the Honors Program subsequently reports to the Provost.
Honors Student Program Board
The Honors Program Board consists of student officers and committee members who plan and coordinate student activities for the Honors Program. Examples of events organized by the Program Board include skating parties, smoothie nights during finals, study groups, career development sessions, and short field trips.
International Study
The Honors Program utilizes a variety of options to encourage students to study abroad. The Honors Center has worked closely with the Department of Economics and Finance, Department of English and Modern Languages, Department of History, and the International Study Abroad Office at Shepherd University to coordinate international study and travel.
Shepherd University Honors Listserv
The Honors listserv is designed to facilitate communication among the members of the Shepherd University Honors program. Messages posted to the list go to all members of the program.