Betsy Wackernagel Bach, Interim Dean
The Davidson Honors College is a campus-wide association of
faculty and students united by a common concern for academic and
personal excellence. Its mission is to foster intellectual and
civic values, and to support the best possible teaching and learning
circumstances for participating faculty and students.
The College offers an academic and social home to motivated and
talented students as they pursue their undergraduate education.
Students from all major areas in the College of Arts and Sciences
and the professional schools are welcome, as well as students
undecided about a major. Honors is not a major in itself, but
an enhancement to General Education in the liberal arts and sciences
as well as to virtually all undergraduate majors on campus.
The new Honors College building, at the center of the campus,
provides a large student lounge, study rooms, classrooms and a
computer center for student use. Additionally, the new Instructional
Technology Resource Center (ITRC), located in the Davidson Honors
College lower level, provides Honors College faculty and students
with a state-of-the-art technology resource for possible collaborative
work. The Honors Students' Association plans and conducts a variety
of social and academic activities as well as community service
projects throughout the year. A special Honors dormitory floor
is available. The Davidson Honors College also sponsors The University
of Montana Volunteer Action Services, an office that coordinates
student service activities in the community and beyond, and supports
the integration of community service experience into the academic
curriculum.
Curriculum
As they pursue their undergraduate education, students in the
Davidson Honors College are asked to focus on three broad themes:
-Community
-Communication
-Leadership
Honors students are encouraged to pursue these themes inside the
classroom and out, in their work and their recreation, in volunteer
service, membership in clubs and organizations, participation
in campus and civic governance, in independent study, pursuit
of their hobbies and interests, and in formal course work.
Honors courses are limited in enrollment to 20-25 students and
usually are conducted in a discussion or seminar format, emphasizing
critical thinking, the development of written and oral communication
skills, direct contact with the faculty, and use of original texts
or "hands on," participatory experience. These courses
are taught by outstanding faculty selected according to their
department's standards of excellence. Course offerings vary somewhat
and represent many academic departments and subject areas. Honors
courses typically fulfill General Education and many common major
requirements.
Some Honors courses are offered as a part of Learning Communities
or Freshman Interest Groups. In these groupings, a cohort of students
enrolls for the same two or three courses in a given semester.
Each class meets separately with its own instructor, but the same
students are in all classes. Frequently in contact with one another
and dealing with the same issues daily, these students tend to
have a more intense learning experience than those in individual
classes.
At the junior and senior level students are offered a selection
of honors seminars. These seminars are open to students from all
disciplines. The aim of these seminars is to assist students in
applying different methods of inquiry and research, in using the
insights of various disciplines, in integrating the students’
knowledge, and in developing well-informed personal stances toward
the material and issues studied.
In their last year, students complete an honors thesis or project,
assuming responsibility, together with a faculty mentor, for a
significant undertaking in the civic or intellectual world. This
project may coincide with a departmental requirement, and is intended
to prepare students to fulfill roles of intellectual, moral, cultural
or social leadership as they realize their places in society.
Assessment of Personal and Academic Goals
A college education invites students to formulate goals and
reflect on their progress toward attaining them. Davidson Honors
College students are responsible for evaluating their aims and
attainments from year to year in collaboration with an advisor.
Entering students are asked to assess their abilities and resources
and begin to formulate interests and aims in light of the themes
of community, communication and leadership mentioned above.
Requirements
Davidson Honors College students are required to complete a
minimum of seven honors courses, including HC 121L and a senior
honors project (may be counted as one honors course). Details
are available in the Davidson Honors College office or on the
DHC web site.
It also is recommended that all students include in their curriculum
at least one course or seminar or independent study project which
includes an experience of volunteer community service.
To maintain good standing in the College, students must take at
least one honors course per year and maintain an overall cumulative
grade point average of 3.0 or above. Academic progress is reviewed
each semester. Those with strong grades are commended, and those
whose grades are below the 3.0 standard are given an academic
warning. A student whose cumulative grade point average falls
below 3.0 is placed on academic probation and remains in this
status until the cumulative grade point average rises to 3.0 or
higher. Suspension from the Honors College occurs when the term
grade point average of a student on probation is below 3.0. A
suspended student may be reinstated when the cumulative grade
point average rises to 3.0 or higher.
Graduation through the Davidson Honors College requires a cumulative
grade point average of 3.0 or higher, and 3.4 in the major field.
Upon successful completion of the requirements, students will
receive their bachelor degrees as "University Scholars"
in their respective majors and have this noted on their diplomas.
Graduation through the Davidson Honors College is not connected
with the distinctions "with honors" and "with high
honors" bestowed on the recommendation of major departments
according to certain grade point averages and/or on the basis
of exams or other means of assessment in the senior year.
Scholarships
The Davidson Honors College administers the Presidential Leadership
Scholarships for incoming freshmen, and several other scholarship
programs for currently enrolled students. For further information
about these scholarship programs, contact the Honors College.
Honors students and those transferring from other institutions
are eligible for the general scholarship program. For further
information, contact the Financial Aid Office.
The Honors College also coordinates University of Montana participation
in the National Merit Scholarship program. Four-year awards are
available to finalists who have indicated UM as their first choice
for attending college, as well as to semi finalists. Interested
students should contact the Honors College for details as soon
as they know their status in the competition.
Eligibility and Application
Admission to the Honors College is open to students who present
evidence of strong motivation and abilities. Ordinarily, these
can be attested to by standing in the upper 10 percent of the
high school graduating class, or ACT composite scores of 27 or
higher or SAT combined scores of 1150 or higher. Transfer students
should have a grade point average of 3.4 or higher. These criteria
are not absolute, however, and motivated students are encouraged
to apply.
Applications are invited from non-traditional students, those
from minority backgrounds, and those whose experience of formal
education may not reflect their abilities and motivation. Evaluation
of all applications will consider not only numerical data but
character and life experience as well. Priority consideration
will be given to applications received before February 1. Applications
received after that date will be considered on a space available
basis only.
Admission to the Davidson Honors College is a separate process
from admission to The University of Montana. To obtain an application
form, contact:
The Davidson Honors College
The University of Montana
Missoula, MT 59812
Phone: (406) 243 2541
e mail: dhc@selway.umt.edu
web page: http://www.dhc.umt.edu
Courses
U = for undergraduate credit only, UG = for undergraduate or
graduate credit, G = for graduate credit. R after the credit indicates
the course may be repeated for credit to the maximum indicated
after the R.
Honors College (HC)
U 121L Ways of Knowing 3 cr. Offered autumn
and spring. A critical assessment of contrasting epistemological
stances expressed in various views of God, nature and the self.
U 194 Honors Seminar Variable cr. (R 6) Prereq.,
consent of instr. Interdisciplinary offerings by various faculty.
Orientation to practical and theoretical issues facing students
entering college.
U 195 Special Topics Variable cr. (R 6) Experimental
offerings of visiting professors, experimental offerings of new
courses, or one time offerings of current topics.
U 196 Independent Study Variable cr. (R 6) Prereq.,
consent of instr.
U 198 Cooperative Education Experience Variable cr. (R
6) Prereq., consent of instr. Practical application of classroom
learning during placements off campus.
U 295 Special Topics Variable cr. (R 6) Experimental
offerings of visiting professors, experimental offerings of new
courses, or one time offerings of current topics.
U 298 Cooperative Education Experience Variable cr.
(R 6) Prereq., consent of instr. Practical application of classroom
learning during placements off campus.
U 395 Special Topics Variable cr. (R 6) Experimental
offerings of visiting professors, experimental offerings of new
courses, or one time offerings of current topics.
U 396 Independent Study Variable cr. (R-6) Offered
intermittently. Prereq., consent of instr.
U 398 Cooperative Education Experience Variable cr. (R
6) Prereq., consent of instr. Practical application of classroom
learning during placements off campus.
U 496 Independent Study Variable cr. (R-3) Prereq.,
consent of instr.
U 498 Cooperative Education Experience Variable cr.
(R 6) Prereq., consent of instr. Practical application of classroom
learning during placements off campus.
U 499 Honors Thesis/Project Variable cr. (R 9)
Prereq., consent of thesis/project director and dean of Honors
College.
Faculty
Professor
Betsy Wackernagel Bach, Ph.D., University of Washington, 1985
(Interim Dean)
Adjunct Assistant Professor
Sean O’Brien, Ph.D., University of Colorado, 1989 (Philosophy;
Advisor)