The University of Montana Western

History of the Honors Program

The Honors Program was founded by Dr. Jane Maddock in 1999. After a comprehensive study of other Honors Programs around the country attending numerous regional and national Honors Conferences, Dr. Maddock founded a unique Honors Program tailored to Western based on these three principles:

openness,
experiential learning,
interdisciplinary study.

Dr. Maddock also believed that courses should:

be reading and writing intensive,
incorporate service-learning,
offer the opportunity for independent research and /or creative endeavors,
offer opportunity for study abroad,
be open to students from all disciplines and substitute for general education courses.

The Honors Program is open to all students whose desire to learn is not bounded by traditional disciplines and classrooms. In addition, Honors students should be

committed to sharing their knowledge with others,
committed to improving their skills in reading and writing,
have the intellectual curiosity to pursue independent research and creative endeavors.

Students apply to the Honors program by writing a letter that summarizes their learning experiences and how they envision contributing to the program.

Dr. Maddock envisioned the Honors Program as a forum for faculty and students to engage in course innovation. Faculty involved in the early Honors Program became convinced that experiential learning was crucial and were involved in obtaining the FIPSE grant, evaluating the block program and implementing it at Western. After implementation of the X1 program, the Honors program has been able to make full use of block scheduling to implement new programs in Honors.

The Honors Program Abroad
In Spring 2006, the Honors Program adopted a new idea proposed by students. Innovative courses should not be arbitrarily bound to any region, be it a classroom, city, state or country. The world is our classroom. The Honors Program launched Honors Courses Abroad. In this program two professors from different disciplines lead a cohort of Honors students abroad for a truely interdisciplinary learning experience.

Honors Student Association
Students who experienced these courses abroad decided they wanted to serve as ambassadors for our evolving Honors Program at the University of Montana Western. These students founded the Honors Student Association devoted to encouraging their fellow students to experience Honors Courses.

Honors First-Year Experience
In the Fall of 2016, the Honors program launched the Honors First-Year Experience. In the Honors First Year Experience, students engage in the study of two disciplines linked over two consecutive blocks. The subject matter in these courses is interrelated and both courses substitute for general education courses The purpose of Honors First Year Experience is to foster extended collaboration among a small cohort of students engaged in the study of ideas that transcend specific disciplines. The students gain a true interdisciplinary perspective by examining the same subject from the points of view of two professors, each trained in a different discipline.

The Honors First-Year Experience has proven to be successful in providing a high-quality academic experience to incoming students providing an excellent foundation for success (GPA) and encouragng students to continue their education (Completion and Retentention).

Honors Forum
In the Fall of 2018 the Honors Program launched Honors Forum as envisioned by Dr. Ashley Carlson. Honors Forum is a one-unit stringer where Honors students will have the opportunity to engage in interdisciplinary discussions, organize and attend campus and community events, and get involved in the regional and national Honors conferences.

Western Regional Honors Council
The Honors Program at the University of Montana Western is a member of the Western Regional Honors Council (WRHC). UMW students regularly present at WHRC meetings and publish in the WHRC Journal Scribendi. [LINK TO WRHC]