Opportunities

Students participate in the Honors Congress through the sophomore year and subsequently are encouraged to enroll in honors in their academic major according to requirements stipulated by the respective academic department.

During the junior and senior years students have ample opportunity for advanced development within their chosen field of study, research in collaboration with faculty in the discipline, and internships in businesses, organizations, and institutions throughout Chicago. During these years students may also work closely with the Director of the Office of Career Development for vocational guidance, with faculty in their discipline for application to graduate school, and with the Director of the Honors Congress for application for nationally recognized awards and scholarships.

Campus Forums

Intellectual rigor on campus, perhaps most directly evident in the classroom, is also advanced through lectures, musical venues, reading groups, and guest speakers, with activities specifically directed to members of the Honors Congress. Small group events for honors students coincide with invited campus speakers and scheduled events. Additionally, various reading and discussion groups are formed each semester on topics of common interest and in coordination with campus presentations.

Chicago Connections

Honors Congress students participate in off-campus events to stimulate the life of the mind and to learn from the University’s broader context, the city of Chicago. Chicago Connection events include attendance at theatre, dance, orchestral, lecture, and cultural events throughout the city. Outings are planned around pre-scheduled events and entrance costs are subsidized for each student. In this way students experience the city and make participation in city-wide events a priority in their campus life experience.

Community Service

On-going reflection on the life of the mind alone is not enough. Students at North Park also embrace service to others as an integral component of the University learning community. Students in the Honors Congress serve the campus community as Presidential Ambassadors and the nearby neighborhoods and communities in the city of Chicago through multiple service venues. Presidential Ambassadors serve the University community by finding ways to strengthen ties between the University, its guests, and the broader city of Chicago. Honors Congress members pride themselves on saying, “I’ll do it!” regardless of the need at hand – from serving coffee, ushering at events, hosting campus visitors, welcoming the stranger, feeding the hungry, tutoring children. Service opportunities are abundant and as wide as the students’ imaginations.

Faculty Mentoring

Personal interaction with faculty and mentoring from professors is one of the popular reasons why students choose to participate in the Honors Congress. Monthly chats with faculty and staff revolve around conversations and answers to questions such as “What matters most?” These small group venues are intellectually stimulating and encourage Honors Congress students to consider their vocation in the company of people who are worthy of attention. From these experiences, honors students often choose faculty mentors who advise and counsel students throughout their undergraduate years and assist with choices such as an academic major, vocational intentions, and graduate school applications.

Vocational Exploration

Even during the first two years of undergraduate study students need to be considering next steps. The Honors Congress is dedicated from day one to help students reflect on their vocational choices. A major goal of the Honors Congress is to prepare students for competition and acceptance into graduate schools of choice, for application to competitive fellowship programs, and for leadership in church, society, business, and government. The directors of the Honors Congress and the Office of Career Planning, along with faculty leaders from across the University, collaborate in guiding students along this journey of vocational discernment.

Course Enrichment

Students enrolled in the Honors Congress may petition for one course each semester of the first two years of study to be designated as an “honors” course. Selected courses are limited to the Dialogue Program and other courses which satisfy general education requirements. A list of courses approved for enrichment is provided each semester by the Director of the Honors Congress. Students enrolled in one of the courses may then articulate with the respective faculty member an enrichment program of study. (During the student’s junior and senior years course enrichment in the major may be available according to standards articulated by the respective academic department.)