Learn more about the Honors Program at Schoolcraft College and what students do to enrich their studies in the classroom and beyond.
Two words best sum up the experience in the Schoolcraft Scholars Honors Program: academics and service.
These are the pillars of the Honors Program at Schoolcraft College, which aims to enhance a student’s college experience with additional rigor. Students in the Honors Program gain valuable experiences and have additional learning opportunities to better prepare them for transfer to a four-year college or university.
In their initial Fall semester, Honors students take the introductory course to the Honors Program, HUM 190: Individual Humanism: An Honors Colloquium taught by Dr. Mark Huston (Philosophy). In their final Winter semester, Honors students take ANTH 290: The Individual and Community: An Honors Capstone Course, currently taught by Professor Jessica Worden-Jones, Coordinator of Service Learning and Civic Engagement. In the Capstone course, Honors students are paired with a non-profit organization and develop a service-learning project that addresses a particular social issue.
“Those two pillars, academics and service, are really emphasized in those two classes,” said Errin Stegich-Moloney, Manager of the Center for Experiential Learning. “Our students see a lot of growth from their first class to their capstone class throughout their time at Schoolcraft College.”
Honors students then select four Honors-designated courses that fit within their program of study. In these elective courses, Honors students collaborate directly with faculty in diverse academic disciplines to create unique projects in each course. These Honors projects go beyond normal coursework, as they are intended to challenge students in applying course principles in the real-world, lead peers in learning activities, conduct field research, identify and report on special resources, construct a prototype, create a work of art or enact change.
These additional responsibilities were something Schoolcraft Scholars Honors Program recent graduate Jonah Efrusy said were extremely beneficial to him.
“Not only did it help me to learn additional information that I would never have had the opportunity to research, but it created an environment in which I had to learn how to be a successful multi-tasker,” he said. “Balancing multiple classes is hard enough, without a large project on top. That being said, it helped me shape my communication and time management skills.”
The experiences do not just end in the classroom. Honors students have outside learning opportunities available to them to enhance their academic careers. Honors students are required to complete several hours of Service and Enrichment hours, encouraging them to become active participants in their communities. Honors students also have other off-campus high-impact learning opportunities and fellowships provided through the Center for Experiential Learning at Schoolcraft College.
Honors students receive other benefits as well, including a scholarship to help cover the cost of their Honors courses, an Honors designation on their transcripts when they graduate, and benefit from articulation agreements to the honors colleges at four-year universities such as Eastern Michigan University and Wayne State University. Graduates of the program represent the program at Commencement with regalia recognizing their achievements.
While the deadline for applications to the Schoolcraft Scholars Honors Program for the Fall 2024 semester has passed, applications will be accepted in late-October for the Winter 2025 application period. Interested candidates must be accepted at Schoolcraft College, have a minimum 3.3 GPA or higher, complete the online application, and submit a required letter of recommendation.
More information can be found on the program’s website, schoolcraft.edu/scholars.
Joining the program is something Efrusy said changed his life forever. He couldn’t recommend the program enough for those looking to get involved on campus.
“Being surrounded by fellow scholars who strive for excellence, along with the constant support of our program coordinator, helped motivate me to represent our program and aim to be the best student I could be. Being a scholar in the honors program, I found myself more attentive, ambitious, open-minded, and prepared in the classroom,” he said. “All of the little things I had learned through my years in the program have made the largest impact on the person I am, and the student I will continue to be.”
Feature Photo: Jonah Efrusy listens to fellow students present their Honors capstone projects earlier this year.