Honors society inducts new members
0Written by Hannah Adkins
Spring 2018 is here, and the University of Pikeville officially launched its Honors Program for the freshmen and sophomore classes. The first group of honors students met on Wednesday, Jan. 31, for the start of the UPIKE Honors Program on campus. The 15 students in attendance expressed their interest in the future of the program to co-directors Chandra Massner and Darla French along with honors committee chair Stephen Budney. It was determined that there are going to be many benefits to the group including a thread of upcoming opportunities on and off campus, an upcoming UPIKE Honors Program Facebook page, and career advantages for participants. Participants turned in applications prior to the Christmas break. “You may be wondering why there was an earlier deadline as well as the final deadline on Feb. 5. The later deadline gives those students who recently got their GPA up to a 3.5 to apply and join the program,” said Chandra Massner. The program is set up to advance students skills in the following five areas: critical thinking, creativity, leadership, social justice, and experiential learning. This encourages students to think outside of the box and reach beyond their comfort zone. “Because of the honors program, I began to think of my future goal as a dentist and my future of applying to dental school. My first thought was to apply for an internship. I would not be doing this without the push on the back that the honors program has given me in this short amount of time of joining,” said Destiny Manns, sophomore. To complete the Honors Program, students must earn 10 merits across four of the five focus areas prior to graduation. Those students will receive a medallion to wear at their graduation ceremony. Their achievements will also be noted on their transcripts. It represents their accomplishments made on and off campus throughout the program. “Being a part of such a prestigious program will make me a well-rounded, successful student. It will look excellent on resumes and transcripts. I’m excited to help this program succeed,” said Anna Baker, sophomore. For more information on application, eligibility, focus areas, and requirements, you can visit www.upike.edu/Academics/honorsprogram. It is encouraged that you email honors@upike.edu or contact Massner, French, or Budney for further questions about the program and application process.