Honors Program

Honors Program Requirements

The E.A. Smith Honors Program provides varied educational opportunities to interested, able, and identified students in an environment that fosters the intellect to expand and assimilate and to synthesize academic excellence. Honor students are identified through the admissions process and may enter the Honors Program in several ways:

1. All students who enter the college with Presidential, Academic Dean, and Honor Track scholarships are required to participate in the program;
2. Students who, after enrollment in Rust College, may apply or be recommended by their advisor and must have at least a 3.0-grade point Students who transfer to Rust College with a 3.25 or higher may apply to the program

Graduating With Honors

Information below is shared as an introduction to EA Smith Honors Program and other requirements may be forthcoming. The location of the EA Smith Honors Program Offices and Honors Lounge (To Be Announced)

• Complete E. A. Smith Program activities and assignments shared on Blackboard
• Maintain a minimum 3.25 GPA
  • If your grades fall below a 3.25 GPA for a single semester, you will be placed on probation for the Honors Program, which means you have the next semester to pull it up or risk removal from the program.
• Be a role model of academic excellence
  • You are expected to maintain academic integrity and to participate actively in events on and off-campus, including but not limited to the Undergraduate Research Symposiums, lecture series, and faculty/student engagement activities (e.g. book of the month reviews/chats).  Academic dishonesty (including but not limited to plagiarism or other forms of cheating) will result in your removal from the program
• Complete an honors project
  • The honors project (presentation, poster session, etc.) Projects should be newsworthy and conference ready. 

In addition to these requirements, honors students are also expected to represent the Rust College community, serving as role models of academic excellence. Members of the honors program are strongly encouraged to pursue experiences that broaden their education, such as abroad programs, summer internships, and research fellowships.

**Honor students will also be required to maintain an updated academic profile in the E.A. Smith Honors Program Office .**

Who We Are

Dr. Ernest Andrew Smith, the ninth president of Rust College was a wholehearted believer in the value of education. He led the college for ten years and much was accomplished under his tenure including the building of Wiff, Gross, and McDonald Science Halls. Smith would undoubtedly want to be remembered as a leader who put student learning first. His legacy is, in fact, demonstrated by an endowed alumni and artist lecture series launched in 1997, name after him and his wife of seventy years, Melverta G. Smith. In 2009, the E.A. Smith Honor Society was also endowed by the couple and named in President Smith’s honor.

Our Mission & Vision

“Our goal is to Awaken Intellectual Minds”

For the bright and talented students at Rust College, the E.A. Smith Honors Program provides opportunities to engage students in collaborative and participatory learning to keep students motivated and connected. Honors education promotes active learning, scholarship, personal engagement, intellectual involvement, and a sense of community.

Honor Students

Gallery

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