For over fifty years, the J. N. Andrews Honors Program has lived by its motto, “Excellence, Service, Commitment.”  That motto articulates our core mission by describing the human beings we seek to nurture:  critically thinking young professionals (Excellence); ethically responsible members of the community (Service); and engaged Seventh-day Adventist believers manifesting an abiding faith (Commitment).

Since its beginning, the J. N. Andrews Honors Program has sought to fulfill that mission by providing challenging classroom experiences focused on critical thinking, discussion, and debate. Following in the footsteps of our namesake, the early Adventist scholar and missionary J. N. Andrews, the Honors Program strives to wed rigorous academic training with deep and lasting faith. For decades, the Honors Thesis project has served as the capstone of the Honors curriculum.

Undergraduate research prepares students for the transition into professional school, graduate school, and career employment.  By requiring that students initiate investigative projects, design research methodologies, review the discoveries of previous scholars, and report in oral and written form on their own findings, the Honors Thesis appropriately caps the undergraduate Honors experience.

Thanks to the guidance of faculty mentors, Honors students often present at disciplinary conferences and even transform their presentations into peer-reviewed publications, graduate school sample essays, or talking-points for their professional school interviews.  In concert with academic departments, the Honors Program happily funds thesis students to attend specialized conferences and present their research findings.

Unfortunately, the Honors Program has no budgeted line item dedicated to funding student research presentations; we rely entirely on donor contributions to fund this important transformative learning experience.  This is why we are asking for your help in building the bank of funds from which we can draw when our talented students are accepted to present at a range of prestigious professional venues.  Thank you for giving as you can to support our worthy students in their professional and personal development.

– L. Monique Pittman, Director of Honors & Professor of English